To Break a Curse
by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Summary: My name is Tabitha Nixon, Tabs for short. For the last ten-years I have been preparing for my destiny. A destiny that was written long before I was born in a land far, far away. Now, thanks to a powerful dark curse, my world has collided with reality, and I have been tasked with protecting the only person strong enough to break the spell. Set during Season 1.
1. Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone, welcome to my new Fanfiction project, and my first _Once Upon a Time _story! I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Once Upon a Time_, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

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**To Break a Curse**

**By xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

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_Once Upon A Time there was an enchanted forest filled with all the classic characters we know. Or think we know. One day they found themselves trapped in a place where all their happy endings were stolen. Our world._

_This is how it happened..._

As Prince Charming galloped through the woods, as flakes of snow fell from the sky. His breath came in wisps of smoke, but he didn't allow his steed to slow in their search. He had to find her - just like he always found her. A bright green glow emitted from his hand, causing Charming to pause as he reached the clearing. This had to be the place. Ahead, silhouetted against the early morning glow, Charming could make out seven small people, dwarves, they were standing around what appeared to be a tree stump, but upon closer inspection Charming found that the stump was in fact a coffin - a glass coffin - and inside laid his beautiful Snow White.

"You're too late." The first dwarf - Happy, although his expression did not live up to his name - said.

"No." Charming puffed. "No! Open it." He added to the dwarf he knew to be Grumpy. It was the same one that his father - King George - had kept prisoner in the dungeons beneath their castle.

"I'm sorry. She's gone." Grumpy said.

But Charming was determined. He had not come all this way, did all that he had done, just to let his True Love slip through his fingers.

"At least let me say goodbye." He said, looking up.

Grumpy paused, and then nodded. He, along with the others, lifted the glass lid off of Snow White and stepped back, allowing Charming his chance to say goodbye in peace.

Leaning down, Charming pressed his lips to Snow's in a kiss, and a pulse of pure magic emitted from the coffin. The snow falling from the skies disappeared, birds chirped and the sun shone brightly through the trees.

Snow gasped for breath as her eyes opened, and a smile graced her lips as she met Charming's gaze.

"You... You found me." Snow breathed.

"Did you ever doubt I would?" Charming asked, helping her sit up.

"Truthfully? The glass coffin gave me pause." Snow admitted.

"You never have to worry." Charming said, cupping her face. "I will always find you."

"Do you promise?"

Instead of answering, Charming leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss once more. It was his promise, a promise that he had forever made a long time ago, a promise that he would find her - he would **always **find her - today, tomorrow, and for the rest of eternity.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Henry Mills sighed and closed the giant _Once Upon a Time_ book that he had received for his tenth-birthday. It was the only gift he cherished out of everything he had received, a gift that not even his own mother had given him, but rather his nanny - Tabitha Nixon.

The woman in question sat alongside him on the long drive out of Storybrooke. She was only taking him as far as the next county, there she would drop him off and he would catch a bus the rest of the way to Boston. He was searching for someone, someone by the name of Emma Swan, someone that he held a close personal connection to and wanted to bring back to Storybrooke, which was why Tabitha was only taking him as far as the next town, and not all the way.

If he were to bring Emma to Storybrooke then she had to believe that he had come to Boston alone, she wouldn't bring him home if he already had someone that could pass as his mother. Plus, on that note, she wouldn't believe that he was biologically her son if Tabitha were present either.

"Are you sure you want to do this, kid?" Tabitha asked, breaking the silence. "I mean, I can drive you the whole way to Boston."

"Nope. Emma won't come back with me if you're there." Henry said. "She'll just have you bring me back. Besides, we need her to come back, remember? Operation Cobra depends on her being in Storybrooke to break the curse."

Tabitha sighed and nodded. That was true. "OK. So, what happens when you get to Boston?" she asked. "What are you going to tell Emma? You can't just blurt out that you're her son, you'll freak her out. She could call the cops."

"And I'll just tell them that she kidnapped me." Henry answered, promptly.

"And they'll believe you because she's your biological mother." Tabitha said. "OK. You going to be openly honest about the curse and Operation Cobra, too?"

"If she is ready for it." Henry nodded.

Tabitha shook her head. "Listen, kid, no one will believe you if you told them that Storybrooke, Maine is full of Fairytale characters, and they're trapped in our world because of some Dark Curse. OK?"

"You believed me."

"That's because I am from there," said Tabitha.

"Emma is from there too."

Tabitha pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, but unlike myself, Emma has no memories that connect her to the Enchanted Forest," she explained. "You're book will tell you that. She was sent away on the day of her birth."

"How _do_ you still have your memories?" Henry asked. "I mean, didn't you say that you were abandoned by your Enchanted Forest parents on the day you were born? So, how do you remember, and not Emma?"

Tabitha smiled and pulled to a halt opposite the bus stop, the bus that would take Henry to Boston was in the station, and already allowing people to board it. "Look, i'm not happy with this, OK? I don't like the idea of you going to Boston alone, but if you insist then you have to promise me that Emma brings you back. I don't want you on another bus."

"I promise." Henry nodded. "But what about my Mom? What if she finds out?"

"She won't." Tabitha said. "I called her when we left Storybrooke."

"What did you tell her?"

"That when I arrived at your house to watch you, I found you and your backpack missing." Tabitha explained.

"You told her that I ran away?" Henry explained.

"Would you rather I have told her I kidnapped you, and am putting you on a bus to Boston to find your real mother?" Tabitha asked. "Because I can call her back, it won't take two seconds. The only downside is that I'd lose my job as your nanny, your mother would stop us from interacting, and Operation Cobra would be a bust."

She started to dial the mayor's cellphone number, but was stopped by Henry.

"OK. OK. I see your point." Henry said, grabbing the cellphone. "What happens if she finds out you're lying?"

Tabitha shrugged. "Technically, we're not lying," she pointed out. "You really are running away. You're running away to find your birth mother, the only difference, and counter-production to this plan, is running away usually entails staying away, you're coming back."

"I have too. To break the curse."

"I know. I was just pointing out the specifics." Tabitha said. "Anyway, I'll call Regina when I get back to Storybrooke and explain that I can't find you, and am heading back to the manor. Hopefully, she's done the right thing and called Graham." Henry looked like he wanted to ask why Regina should call the Sheriff in, but Tabitha cut across him before he had a chance. "Here. Use this when you get to Boston, and, under no circumstances, are you to lose it. Understand?"

Henry nodded and took the credit card that Tabitha was offering him.

"I'll be extra careful," he said. "I promise."

"You better." Tabitha warned.

"I'll be back." Henry promised, leaning across the car and hugging her. "Thank you for helping me, Tabs, I couldn't have got this far without you."

Tabitha smiled and hugged him back. "Now go," she said. "And good luck."

Henry nodded, got out of the car, slung his book bag up onto his shoulder, and hurried across the road to the coach. Tabitha watched him board, waited until the coach had pulled out of the station, and disappeared out of her line of sight, before starting the engine to her Lexus LF-A, and returned home to Storybrooke.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Do you, Prince Charming, promise to take this woman to be your wife and love her for all eternity?" the Bishop asked.

"I do." Charming smiled, gazing lovingly at his soon-to-be-wife.

"And do you, Snow White, promise to take this man to be your husband and love him for all eternity?" the Bishop repeated.

"I do." Snow answered.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife." The Bishop announced. "You may kiss your bride."

Charming smiled, but needed no invitation. He leaned forward and was about to press a tender kiss to Snow's lips when the doors at the back of the hall burst open, silencing the cheers of their guests as the Evil Queen stood before them.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, taking her uninvited presence in stride. She strode between the wedding guests, flinging two guards aside as they tried to stop her, and smirked darkly up at her step-daughter and step-son-in-law as Snow held her at sword point.

"You're not Queen anymore." Snow said. "You're nothing more than an evil witch!"

"No. Don't stoop to her level." Charming soothed, taking his sword from his wife. "There's no need. You're wasting your time," he added to the Evil Queen. "You've already lost. I will not let you ruin this wedding."

"I haven't come here to ruin anything." The Evil Queen assured the happy couple. "On the contrary, dear, I've come to give you a gift."

"We want nothing from you." Snow told her.

"But you shall have it." The Evil Queen insisted. "My gift to you is this happy, happy day. For tomorrow my real work begins. You've made your vows, now I make mine. Soon, everything you love, everything all of you love, will be taken from you forever. And out of your suffering, will rise my victory. I shall destroy your happiness if it is the last thing I do."

The Evil Queen turned her back on Snow and Charming, whipping her cloak behind her and striding back towards the doors. Her threat had been made, her promise executed, she had no more business here.

"Hey!" Charming bellowed from the alter.

The Evil Queen turned, smirked, and disappeared in a puff of purple smoke as the sword which had been thrown at her, struck the wall behind where she had once stood.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

The elevator doors glided open to reveal a pretty blonde in a fuchsia pink dress. She stepped into the restaurant and looked around, smiling lightly as a man, around her age stood up at his table, straightened his tie and leaned towards her.

"Emma?" the man asked, nervously.

"Ryan?" the woman - Emma - smiled. "You look relieved."

"Well, it is the Internet." Ryan chuckled, pulling out her seat for her. "Pictures can be..."

"Fake? Outdated? Stolen from a Victoria's Secret catalogue?" Emma listed a few possible scenarios.

"Exactly." Ryan agreed, retaking his own seat. "So, um, tell me something about yourself, Emma."

"Ah, well," said Emma looking thoughtful. "Today's my birthday."

"And you're spending it with me?" Ryan asked, slightly surprised. "What about your friends?"

"I'm kind of a loner." Emma shrugged.

"And you don't like your family?"

"No family to like."

"Aw. Come on, everyone has family."

"Technically, yeah." Emma nodded. "And everyone knows who they are. Ready to run yet?" she asked, wondering if she had freaked him out already.

Ryan chuckled lightly and smiled. "Not a chance," he answered, reaching across the table to take her hand. "You, Emma, are, by far, the sexiest friendless orphan that I have ever met."

Emma laughed at the compliment. "OK. Your turn. No, wait, let me guess," she said, excitedly. "You are handsome. Charming."

"Go on." Ryan prompted her.

"The kind of guy who, and now stop me if I get this wrong, embezzled from your employer, got arrested, and skipped town before they were able to throw your ass in jail?"

Ryan frowned. "Excuse me?" he asked, although he had heard her clear as day.

"And the worst part of all this is your wife." Emma continued. "Your wife loves you so much that she bailed you out, and how do you repay that loyalty? You're on a date."

Ryan couldn't believe his luck.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"The chick that put up the rest of the money." Emma answered.

"A bail bondsman?" Ryan asked.

"Bail bondsperson." Emma corrected. Last she had checked she hadn't had a gender swap.

Ryan breathed in heavily, before overturning the table, sending all its contents to the ground, including the red wine that magically seemed to avoid Emma and her dress. Thankfully it had saved her a dry cleaning, but she now had to chase Ryan from the restaurant.

"Really?" Emma sighed, following behind her 'date' at a much slower pace. She knew he would head for his car, it was the one means of transport for any man, but she was always one step ahead of people with a background like Ryan's. He wasn't going anywhere, other than back to prison.

Reaching his car, Ryan panicked as he realized that his car had been booted. He couldn't be sure if it had been Emma, or if she had already informed Boston PD about him and his background, if she had, he was royal screwed.

"You don't have to do this, OK? I can pay you back." Ryan told Emma as she grew closer. He really didn't want to go to prison, and the only way he could think of avoiding a prison sentence was paying back what he owed. "I've got money."

"No, you don't." Emma second-guessed him. "And if you did, you should give it to your wife to take care of your family."

Ryan glowed icily at Emma, faintly recalling what she had said back at the Restaurant, about being an orphan. "What the hell do you know about family, huh?" he asked coldly.

Unable to restrain herself, Emma reached into the car and slammed Ryan's head against the steering wheel. He groaned and blacked out, slumping in the driver's seat, blood trickling from his mouth.

"Nothing." Emma said, regaining her composure.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

With Ryan in custody, Emma headed home. She stopped twice to gather a few supplies, before arriving outside her apartment building. From the outside it looked like every other apartment building, but on the inside it was heavily graffitied. But the neighbors were friendly enough.

Emma liked it here. No one bothered her, and she stayed out of anyone's business but her own. It was the way she liked things.

Closing the door with her hip, Emma leaned her hand against the wall and kicked off her shoes. Her feet burned, but Emma felt instant relief the second she touched the cool wooden flooring of her home, flipping the light switch, Emma made her way into the kitchen and set her purchases down on the worktop.

One was a small packet of star-shaped candles, while the other a white bakery box with a cupcake inside.

Emma sighed and stuck a blue star-shaped candle in the vanilla icing of her cupcake, lit it using a match, and rested her chin on her arms as she watched the small ball of flame flicker back and forth in front of her. Like she had told Ryan, today was her birthday, her twenty-eight birthday to be exact, and, just like every other year, she spent it alone.

"Another banner year." Emma sighed, closing her eyes.

_**I wish I didn't have to spend my birthday alone this year.**_

After making her wish, Emma opened her eyes, and blew out the candle. No sooner had the ball of light disappeared, did the doorbell to her apartment buzz. Having never believed in wishes, or magic, Emma didn't know whether or not to believe that, maybe, her wish had come true.

Deciding to try her luck, Emma returned to her front door and opened it, only to pause and look down, surprised to find a kid - no older than ten or eleven-years-old - standing on her doorstep.

"Uh, can I help you?" Emma asked.

"Are you Emma Swan?" the kid asked.

"Yeah. Who are you?"

"My name's Henry. I'm your son."

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**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N:** Don't take this as personal. After many of my stories being stolen on other parts of this site, I copyright and date/time my chapters. However, that does not mean I own, or even consider owning Once Upon a Time (as I know it will never happen) but that doesn't mean I want my original ideas or characters stolen again.

This has just become my trademark.

Please Review? Thanks!

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, September 28, 2013 at 3:05am**


	2. Chapter 2: Believing isn't Easy

**Author's Note**: Much longer chapter this time, and we got to see quite a bit about Tabitha - including her parents, and her connection to Emma. I especially like the relationship i'm creating between Tabitha and Henry.

**Dedications:** Big thank you to the following: **Grapejuice101, Lucia123, Angel2u, SoulVirus, Rebecca2810, Bch1993** and** Mystrygirl123.**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own _Once Upon a Time_, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

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"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You're thinking about it again, aren't you?"

Ella Nixon sighed and cast her gaze away from her husband. "I can't help it," she admitted. "It wasn't a dream, and it most definitely wasn't a memory. It was a vision, Avis, I know it was."

"Ella, please." Avis Nixon pleaded, taking his wife's hands in his. "We can't keep having this conversation. You have to let it go. We're about to have a twins."

"I haven't had a restful night since Snow and Charming's wedding." Ella protested. "Not since the Queen made her presence, and threat. What am I supposed to do, Avis, I was given this vision for a reason, if i'm supposed to ignore it then -"

"This is what the Queen wants, Ella, dear," said Avis. "She wants to get inside your head. Look, Snow and Charming are expecting a baby, if you go and tell them that they'll one day be separated from her then you're just causing more panic."

"They have a right to know, Avis!" Ella protested. "If they know ahead of time then maybe something can be done to protect them, and their baby."

"Ella, what the Queen said," said Avis, shaking his head. "They are only words. She cannot hurt Snow, Charming or their baby. I have made sure of it."

"Protection spells are temporary," said Ella. "They take a lot of magic and energy, you've said it yourself."

Avis sighed and nodded. "I know I have," he agreed. "But I have faith that this spell will hold."

"Faith?" Ella asked. "What's a little faith when one can see the future? I've seen what happens to this world, what it becomes, and it is not a pretty place. I have seen what happens to our children. To the future Queen of the Enchanted Forest. The Evil Queen speaks the truth of the curse, Avis, no magic, not even ours, is strong enough to protect against what is to come."

"If that is true," said Avis. "Why do you insist on telling Snow and Charming of a fate which has already been sealed?"

"Because their baby is the one." Ella answered. "She is the one who will break the curse."

"But you said -?"

Ella smiled and cupped her husband's cheek. "I never said the spell would be permanent, darling," she said. "I just said that it is coming, and it is coming soon."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

There was a loud clap of thunder, followed quickly by a crash of lightning which illuminated the darkened skies outside, caused Tabitha to jump and swerve slightly. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't been paying much attention to what was happening outside of her car.

Peering out of the front window, the young brunette sighed and turned on her wipers as the thunder clouds rolled it quickly, thick and black with rain water. The seconds ticked by and soon the rain started to lash against the windscreen in torrents. There didn't seem to be an end to it.

As she drove, Tabitha made sure to keep her thoughts separate from her driving. Deep thinking was going to be the death of her, seeing as she always tuned out from her surroundings when it happened, she had almost put herself and Henry in the hospital once because she had tuned out while driving him to school.

A sigh escaped Tabitha's slightly parted lips as she thought of Henry. Had he made it to Boston? If he didn't, or something bad had happened to him, she would never forgive herself for putting him on the bus. If she'd had time to think this situation through more, she could have invested in a small pre-paid and disposal cellphone for him, just something that he could use to contact her while they were away from one another.

Tabitha was less than a mile outside of Storybrooke when her cellphone started to ring. The tone wasn't anything fancy, like some people around Storybrooke, but it was something that held depth and meaning to Tabitha and the people she had once been in contact with. Carefully shifting her weight to one-side, Tabitha reached into the back seat for her jacket, the cellphone was in the pocket, and the jacket had been thrown carelessly into the back seeing as Tabitha didn't think that she would need it anymore tonight.

Taking her eyes off of the road for a second, Tabitha finally located her cellphone and pulled back around to face the front. She gasped and hit the brakes as a magnificent white wolf appeared in her path. "Shit!" she swore, swerving around the animal, and skidding to a halt in the dark. Her lights illuminated the road ahead, while her back lights loomed eerily in the night. Glancing in her rearview mirror, Tabitha glared at the wolf that was watching her. It didn't approach her car, instead, after a few minutes; it got up and trotted off back into the trees.

Tabitha sighed and reached for her phone for a second time. She had dropped it while trying to avoid hitting the wolf that had come out of nowhere, she was mentally cursing the Huntsman for not keeping a better eye on his brother, before she remembered that the Huntsman didn't exist in this world - well, he did, he just didn't know it.

Checking the caller ID, Tabitha accepted the incoming call.

"Madam Mayor."

"_Where have you been?_"

"Sorry, Mayor had a bit of car trouble."

"_Did you find Henry?_"

"You mean he hasn't come home yet?" Tabitha frowned, feigning innocence.

"_Would I have been calling if he were here?!_" the Mayor demanded.

Tabitha bit back a retort, before answering. "Sorry, Madam Mayor, I just assumed -"

"_Well, you assumed wrong!_"

"Yes, Mayor, of course, i'm terribly sorry."

"_Just find him, Tabitha!_" the Mayor ordered. "_If anything happens to him, I will hold you responsible._"

"Uh, can I ask why it will be my fault?"

"_Because he disappeared while on your watch._"

Unable to hold back her comments any longer, Tabitha opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by the dial tone. The Mayor - and Henry's adoptive mother - had hung up, leaving the young brunette hanging in mid-sentence.

"Bitch." Tabitha muttered, locking her screen and tossing the phone onto the seat beside her. She checked around, making sure that the white wolf was completely gone, and wasn't about to appear in the middle of her path again, before she started the engine and carried on her way back to Storybrooke.

She knew that she would eventually have to return and face the Mayor, and obviously she would be empty handed, but she could handle Henry's adopted mother - if you could call her that - ever since Regina had adopted Henry, and hired Tabitha as his nanny, it had been she who had raised him; changed his diapers, soothed his fevers, read him bedtime stories, sung him to sleep, rocked him, played with him, taught him to walk, talk and play. Regina's name may have been on the adoption papers, but Henry was more Tabitha's son than hers.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

It was almost two hours after Regina had called Tabitha, before the young brunette was driving along the main - and only road - of Storybrooke, Maine. The storm had passed some minutes ago, but the streets were drenched.

Cars sat outside houses, and apartments, water collecting around their tires and flowing into the storm-drains. Curtains were drawn against the rain splattered windows, but shadows moved beyond them a clear sign that most occupants of Storybrooke were still awake.

To keep up the appearance of searching, Tabitha kept her awareness about her, pulled over to the side of the road and got out of her warm car. The cold air chilled her, but it was also a pleasure to stretch her legs after the constant drive to and from the next state over. Stretching her back muscles, Tabitha jumped as something nudged the back of her leg.

Looking down, Tabitha sighed and a light chuckle escaped her lips as Archie's dalamation brushed against her leg. "Hey, Pongo," she said, petting his coat. "Where's Archie, huh?"

The dog barked, startling a few birds that had landed in a near-by alley. The birds took flight and Pongo barked at them again.

"Quiet, Pongo!" scolded Archie as he arrived from his workplace. "Oh, hey Tabitha, I was wondering why he ran out before I was ready."

"Sorry, Archie," said Tabitha. "You know me and dogs. They simply love me. Same with kids, I guess."

Archie chuckled and nodded, hooking Pongo's lead to his collar.

"Archie, you wouldn't happen to have seen Henry, have you?" Tabitha asked.

"Actually, no, I haven't," said Archie. "He didn't turn up for his session today. I just assumed that either you or Regina had -"

"Does Regina strike you as the type to deviate from her schedule?" Tabitha interrupted.

"Now that you mention it," said Archie, shaking his head.

"And do I look stupid enough to challenge her?" Tabitha asked. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I really don't think there is anything psychologically wrong with Henry, but everyone knows it's wrong to get on Regina's bad side, and while Henry is my responsibility, he is still the Mayor's son."

Archie smiled and nodded. "Sorry," he apologized.

"Don't be." Tabitha said, waving him off. "Anyway, I better get back. See if Regina has heard anything about or from Henry. Goodnight, Archie, bye, Pongo," she added, petting the dalamation again, and climbing back into her car.

She had only just pulled off and disappeared around the corner, leading to Regina's home, when a yellow bug rolled down the street. Tires screeched on the wet road, and the car came to a halt in the middle of the road. The driver side door opened and a young blonde climbed out, slamming the door on her companion.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Look, it's been a long night," said Emma, trying to keep her temper as Henry joined her outside of her car. "And it's almost -" she broke off as she looked up at the clock tower only to see that it was evidentially broken.

The clock face read 8:15pm, indicating early evening.

"That clock hasn't moved in my whole life." Henry admitted. "Time is frozen here."

"Excuse me?" Emma asked, unsure that she had heard him right.

"The Evil Queen did it with her curse. She sent everyone from the Enchanted Forest here."

"Hang on. An evil queen sent a bunch of fairytale characters here?" Emma asked, trying to make heads or tails of what she was being told.

"Yeah, and now they're trapped." Henry nodded.

"Frozen in time. Stuck in Storybrooke, Maine." Emma asked, skeptically. "That's what you're going with."

Henry sighed. "There's only one other person, other than me and the Evil Queen that knows the truth, but she has to keep up appearances because the Evil Queen doesn't know about her." He said.

"And who's that?" Emma asked.

"Tabs."

"Come again?" Emma frowned.

"Her name's Tabitha," said Henry. "Tabitha Nixon. She's been my nanny from the day I was adopted. She was the one who gave me the book, and helped me find you. She's my only friend, the only one who believes me, and that's because she knows the truth too."

"Is she in your book?" Emma asked.

Henry nodded. "I haven't come across her story yet," he said. "But I'm sure she is. Her parents are mentioned throughout, mostly Snow White, because her mother, Ella, was good friends with Snow. She was born the same day as you, too, twenty-eight-years ago today."

"That means nothing, kid," said Emma. "There are a lot of people in this world that share a birthday with me."

"True." Henry nodded. "But Tabitha shares the same birthday because she's kinda like you. You're the Saviour. You're the one that's going to break the curse, and then Tabitha's destiny to protect you will begin."

"Protect me?" Emma repeated. Henry nodded. "Protect me from what?"

"Dark Magic." Henry answered, as if the answer was simple. "Once the curse is broken the final battle between good and evil will begin. The Saviour will need a protector, a defender, and that person is Tabitha. If you don't believe _me_ then just ask her. She'll confirm everything I've said, I promise."

Emma sighed, but before she could respond, a scratchy voice had called Henry from the other side of the street. She looked up to see a skinny, wired looking man with thin glasses and tufts of ginger hair, walking towards them with a Dalamation on a lead.

"Is everything all right?" Archie asked, looking between Henry and Emma. He was just coming back from his walk with Pongo, and was now heading home. After his brief conversation with Tabitha earlier he was well aware that she and Regina were searching for the little runaway. "Where've you been, Henry? Your mother and Tabs are worried sick about you."

"I'm fine, Archie." Henry smiled, reassuringly.

"Who's this?" Archie asked, smiling at Emma.

"Just someone trying to give him a ride home." Emma answered, simply.

"She's my mom, Archie." Henry added. Much to Emma's displeasure.

"Oh. I see." Archie said. Obviously he knew quite a bit about Henry's adoption, and how Henry felt about being put up for adoption. But he never once thought that he'd actually meet Henry's birth mother face-to-face.

"You know where he lives?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, sure. Just right up on Mifflin Street." Archie answered, pointing over his shoulder. "The Mayor's house is the biggest one on the block, and if that's hard to miss there should be a white Lexus LF-A parked out front."

"You're the mayor's kid?" Emma asked.

Henry bowed his head, and muttered, "Maybe," sheepishly.

"Hey, where were you today, Henry?" Archie asked. "'Cause you missed our session."

"I forgot to tell you. I went on a field trip." Henry said.

"Henry," sighed Archie, kneeling in front of the boy. "What did I tell you about lying? Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

"Oookay." Emma said drawing out her words as Archie started to creep her out. No wonder Henry was creating stories of fairytale characters being trapped in the real world. "Well, I really should be getting him home."

"Yeah. Sure. Well, listen, have a good night, and you be good, Henry." Archie said, patting the ten-year-old on the shoulder, and then walking away.

"So that's your shrink?" Emma asked Henry, as Archie walked away, whistling to himself.

"I'm not crazy." Henry protested.

"Didn't say that." Emma defended. "Just... He doesn't seem cursed to me. Maybe he's just trying to help you."

"He's the one who needs help." Henry stressed. "Because he doesn't know."

"That he's a fairytale character?" Emma asked, still in disbelief.

"None of them do."

"Except for this Tabitha Nixon?"

"Yes. Everyone, except for Tabs, doesn't remember who they are." Henry confirmed. He pushed off the side of the car and walked back around to the passenger side.

"Convenient. All right, I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?" Emma asked, opening the driver's side.

"Jiminy Cricket."

"Right. The lying thing. I thought your nose grew a little bit." Emma teased.

"I'm not Pinocchio."

"Of course you're not. Because that would be ridiculous."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"I say we fight!" Charming decided. He was standing at one end of the round table, facing his councilors. They weren't Knights, but rather people that he and his wife had come to know and trusted above and beyond. People who he knew he would lay his life down for, and vice versa.

"Fighting is a bad idea." Jiminy Cricket said. Being the smallest of them all, he was positioned on the table, with a magnifying glass so people could see him and a megaphone so he could be heard. "Giving into one's dark side never accomplishes anything."

"And how many wars has a clear conscience won?" Avis Nixon asked. He had known Charming since they were children. They both had similar backgrounds. The only difference being Charming was Royalty, and Avis was a son of Magic. "I agree with Charming. We need to take the Queen out before she can inflict her curse."

"Can we even trust Rumplestiltskin?" Doc asked.

"Rumplestiltskin is a man of many things," said Ella Nixon. "But he is also a man of his word. The animals from here to the safe Haven are abuzz with the Queens plans. The curse is going to happen."

"Not unless we do something about it first." Avis said, touching his wife's shoulder. He knew that she was eager to explain how she knew the curse was going to happen, but all in the Enchanted Forest knew that she had given up on using her Seer powers years ago, and no one would take her serious if she said that she'd had a vision now.

"There's no point." Snow said. She was sitting alongside her husband, hand on her bulging stomach. She looked defeated and worn, like she had nothing left to fight for. "The future is written."

"No. I refuse to believe that." Charming said. "Good can't just lose."

"Maybe it can." Snow sighed.

Charming paused, and then knelt beside his wife. "No," he breathed. "No. Not as long as we have each other. If you believe him about the curse then you must believe him about our child. She will be the saviour."

"But without a defender to protect her." Snow started to protest.

"The defender will come." Ella interrupted. "Do not fear, Snow, I have faith that your daughter will be protected, and as Charming says, as long as you believe in your daughter, she will find you."

The doors crashed open, revealing four knights tugging a wagon into the room. Upon the wagon was a deformed trunk of a tree.

"What the hell is this?" Charming demanded, straightening up.

The Blue Fairy fluttered forward.

"It is our only hope of saving that child," she said.

"A tree?" Grumpy asked. "Our fate rests on a tree? Let's get back to the fighting thing."

"The tree is enchanted. If fashioned into a vessel, it can ward off any curse." The Blue Fairy explained. "Geppetto, can you build such a thing?"

"Me and my boy, we can do it." Geppetto nodded, patting his son's head.

"This will work." The Blue Fairy promised the Charming's. "We all must have faith. There is, however, a catch. The enchantment is indeed powerful. But all power has its limits, and this tree can protect only one."

Snow froze, and looked up at her husband doubtfully. If what the Blue Fairy said was true then they would, at some point in the next few months, become separated.

Avis felt Ella grip his hand beneath the table. He squeezed back, reassuring her that everything would work out for the better. Ella had seen the future, and in it neither she nor he, or Snow nor Charming, were a part of their children's lives - at least not until the Dark Curse was lifted.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Please don't take me back there." Henry pleaded as Emma led him up the path to his home. He didn't really want to be here, the only person who actually cared about him inside the house was Tabitha, and if Emma could take him away from Regina then Tabitha could leave too, she had always said that he was the only thing keeping her from leaving.

"I have to." Emma sighed. "I'm sure your parents are worried sick about you."

"I don't have parents." Henry said. "Just a mom and she's evil."

"Evil? That's a bit extreme, isn't it?" Emma asked, stopping in her tracks and turning to Henry.

"She is. She doesn't love me. She only pretends to."

"What about Tabitha?"

"Tabitha's only sticking around for me," said Henry. "But if you take me away then she has no reason to stay, you'll be helping her too."

"Kid," sighed Emma. "I'm sure that's not true."

But before Henry could defend himself, and explain that it was, the front door to his home opened and an older woman, with short brown hair rushed towards them.

"Henry!" she gasped, wrapping her arms around the little boy. "Henry! Are you OK? Where have you been? What happened?" she added, looking up at Emma and then back at her son.

"I found my real mom." Henry snapped, storming past his mother and the Sheriff. Tabitha was also present, but she was standing on the porch watching the scene unfold, she chased Henry back into the house as he stormed past her too, and followed him upstairs, calling his name.

The sound of a door slamming told Regina, Emma and the Sheriff that Henry had reached his bedroom ahead of Tabitha, and closed the door on her.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Tabitha sighed and rested against Henry's door.

"Henry," she called through the wooden frame. "Henry, open up. Come on, let me in. I can't help from out here."

"Go away." Henry shouted.

"No. That's not the answer." Tabitha said, reaching for the handle. She twisted it and let herself in. She sighed as she found Henry lying face down on his bed, his back to her. "Tell me what happened."

"She doesn't believe me." Henry said, sitting up. "I told her the truth, and she still doesn't believe me."

"Well, it is easy to disbelieve in something than it is to believe." Tabitha said. "Especially Magic, and besides, I thought we agreed that you weren't going to tell her until she was ready?"

"She coaxed it out of me." Henry said. "She called them fairytales."

Tabitha sighed and brushed Henry's hair from his face. "Aw, Henry, what did I tell you about the real world?" she asked.

"That what we know isn't real."

"Exactly." Tabitha said, helping him out of his jacket and scarf. "When you're a kid, believing in magic is easy. It's like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, you don't have to know something is real in order to believe in it, you just know that it does exist, but as you grow older, you start to lose that spark of imagination and belief you have as a child. Emma seems to have lost hers; it's now our job to get her to re-believe."

"How do we do that?" Henry asked.

"Well, for starts, we don't try to force her." Tabitha said, walking over to his chest of drawers and pulling out some pyjamas. She tossed them at him, and then turned around so he could change. "Magic isn't something that you can force someone to believe, but don't worry, we'll think of something."

"Do you think she'll be ready to join Operation Cobra?" Henry asked as he finished changing.

"Maybe soon." Tabitha nodded. "But remember, she's not going to be as quick to believe in magic and the Enchanted Forest, like I was. She's going to need a bit of space and time to adjust, especially with the return of her son. OK? So, promise me, no pushing or forcing."

"Promise." Henry said, jumping to her knees.

"Pinky promise?" Tabitha asked, holding up her little finger.

Henry smiled and twisted his little finger around hers.

"Good. So, what's it gonna be tonight, kid?" Tabitha asked, changing tactics as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and down the hall. She knew that it was either Graham or Regina, but that didn't mean she wanted either of them to overhear she and Henry plotting. "Story or song?"

"Both."

Tabitha groaned and opened Henry's bed. "Sometimes I wonder how I still have a voice with you," she teased, tickling Henry's sides as he climbed under the covers.

Tabitha smiled at the laughter erupting from her young charges' mouth, and tickled him all the more.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Please Review? Thanks!**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Wednesday, October 02, 2013 at 03:13am**


	3. Chapter 3: If Given the Chance

**Author's Note:** Still one episode 1 - But breaking the story up like this means I can get the point of each chapter across. Hopefully there'll only be around four chapters of each story. Anyway, this chapter shows the Defender's birth, and gives Henry a little sense of hope and belonging when it comes to Tabitha. Hope you enjoy.

**Dedications:** Big thank you to the following: **Rebecca2810, Believix-winx, StarReader2009, LovingBOBThePacific, Mikado X Goddess, TWD, Chaseagirl2** and **Snmuenst.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Once Upon a Time_, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

"You said the defender would come," said Snow. She was stood outside in the courtyard with Ella. "Last night, when I feared that my daughter would grow up without a defender, you said that the defender would come."

Ella nodded.

"How could you know?" Snow asked.

"I have faith." Ella answered. She had already promised her husband that she would not worry Snow or Charming anymore about the curse; she had wanted to tell Snow everything after she had received the vision nine months ago, but he had talked her out of it, but now Snow had received all the information she needed from Rumplestiltskin.

"Ella," said Snow. "Not once have you believed in Faith or Fate."

"I am capable of changing my mind, aren't I?"

Snow looked considerate, before gasping. "You had a vision, didn't you?" she asked.

"No. We both know that I turned against my Seer abilities when I witnessed the death of my mother, and lost both parents while trying to stop it." Ella said.

But Snow knew that she was lying.

"Ella, we have been friends for far too long," said Snow. "I know how you tick. You have this quirk about you that allows people to know you are lying. You do blink far too often when you are hiding something. What is it? What do you know?"

"It's nothing." Ella said. "Nothing at all."

"You're doing it again." Snow said, watching the rapid blinks of her old friend. "Please, Ella, if it is about Emma... or her defender, please, you have to tell me. Will Emma be safe?"

Ella sighed, and then nodded. "Yes. Emma will be safe," she confirmed. "Her defender will find her, but not in the way we all expect. They will both find each other on their twenty-eight birthdays, brought together by a young boy."

"Twenty-eight years apart?" Snow asked. "The Defender will not know what she must do?"

"She knows." Ella said. "She, just like Emma, will be protected from the curse. She'll be ready to take on her destiny to protect Emma, after the curse has been broken. They will find each other, Snow, which is why I have faith that they will find - oh!"

Ella hunched over, clutching her stomach as pain crippled her.

"Ella?" Snow asked, as her friend gasped her hand tightly.

"My babies..." Ella gasped, her breathing coming in short labored gasps. "I think my babies are coming."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Emma groaned and opened her eyes.

It took her a split second to realize that she was not in her car, but rather lying flat on her back on a bed, in a cell. Her arms were folded across her chest, and she could feel another set of eyes on her.

Rolling her head to the side, Emma gave a start to find a grumpy looking man looking at her from the other side of a cell door.

"What are you looking at, sister?" the grumpy man asked.

"Hey, Leroy, manners," and old man, on the otherside of the cell, reprimanded. He was dressed as a worker, and seemed to be fixing the cupboard in the kitchen. "We have a guest. So you are Henry's mother?" he added to Emma. "How lovely for him to have you back in his life."

"Actually, I was just dropping him off." Emma corrected.

"Don't blame you." Leroy scoffed. "They're all brats. Who needs them?"

"Well, I'd give anything for one." The old man answered. "My wife and I, we tried for many years, but he was not meant to be."

"Well, cry me a river." Leroy said.

"Leroy, if I'm gonna let you out, you need to behave," said the Sheriff, as she arrived. He slotted the key into Leroy's cell door and twisted it. "Put on a smile, and stay out of trouble."

Leroy smiled, sarcastically, before moodily leaving the station.

"Seriously?" Emma asked, leaning on her cell door.

"Regina's drinks, a little stronger than we thought." Graham said, shrugging. He had already warned Emma the previous evening about Regina's apple ciders being strong, but the blonde had been adamant that she wasn't drunk, and would be find on her drive back to Boston.

"I wasn't drunk." Emma protested. "There was a wolf standing in the middle of the road."

"A wolf. Right." Graham nodded. His tone told Emma that he obviously didn't believe her.

"Graham? Henry's run away again. We have to..." Regina, who had just walked in, cut off as she saw Emma behind bars. "What is she doing here? Do you know where he is?"

"Lady, I haven't seen him since I dropped him at your house." Emma answered, "and I have a pretty good alibi."

"Well, he wasn't in his room this morning." Regina explained.

"Did you try his friends?" Emma asked.

"He doesn't really have any." Regina answered. "He's kind of a loner."

"Every kid has friends. Did you check his computer? If he's close to someone, he'd be emailing them."

"And you know this how?" Regina asked, accusingly.

"Finding people is what I do." Emma answered, hotly. "Here's an idea. How about you guys let me out, and I'll help you find him?"

Regina paused and glanced at Graham. The last thing she wanted was to align herself with Henry's birth mother, just in case Emma saw it as an invitation back into Henry's life, but if she were ever to get her son back then she needed to take the chance.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Moving the cursor across Henry's screen, Emma clicked the icon that would take her to his inbox. She sighed when she saw it was empty.

"Smart kid. Cleared his inbox. Unfortunately for him, i'm smart, too," she said, taking an external drive stick from her pocket. "A little hard disc recovery utility I like to use."

"I'm a bit more old-fashioned in my techniques." Graham admitted. "Pounding the pavement. Knocking on doors. That sort of thing."

"You're on salary. I get paid for delivery." Emma replied. "Pounding the pavement is not a luxury that I get." The computer beeped as Henry's inbox history re-appeared on the screen. "Huh, there's a receipt for a website: . It's expensive," she added, inspecting the price as she clicked the link. "He has a credit card?"

"He's 10." Regina reminded her.

"Well, he used one." Emma said. "Let's pull up a transaction record." She clicked 'view' and the card details appeared. "'Tabitha Nixon.' Henry mentioned a Tabitha, who is she?"

"That'd be me." Tabitha answered, appearing in the doorway.

Regina turned in her direction. "You," she said her voice low and threatening.

"Before you go threatening me," said Tabitha, halting the Mayor. "Can I first ask what exactly have I done this time?"

"You gave Henry your credit card so that he could find her." Regina nodded at Emma.

"I'm sorry, but who is she?" Tabitha asked. "I mean, I recognize you from last night, but I didn't really stick around to get a name."

"I'm his... um... I'm his..." Emma stammered.

"The woman who gave him up for adoption." Regina interrupted.

"Ah." Tabitha nodded. She already knew who Emma was, Henry had told her everything the previous evening, but for both her own, and Henry's sakes, she knew that she had to play dumb for the time being. "As to answer your first question, Madam Mayor, yes, I did give Henry my credit card, but I honestly had no idea that he was using it to track his birth mother - I always assumed that the records were sealed."

"They were." Emma and Regina answered.

"Well, wouldn't you need a court order to unseal them?" Tabitha asked.

"So you have no idea where my son is?" Regina asked.

"I- I didn't even know he was missing," said Tabitha. "I woke up this morning to find his bed was empty and his book bag was gone. I assumed that he had decided to catch the school bus today."

"Well, as per usual, Tabitha, you assumed wrong!" snapped Regina, and then she stalked from the room.

Tabitha, Emma and Graham were silent, and then seconds later heard the front door slamming shut as Regina left the house.

"I'll do a complete search of Storybrooke," said Graham, straightening up. "I'll call you if I find anything."

"Thanks, Sheriff." Tabitha nodded, allowing him to leave.

Graham nodded and left the two women alone. Again, both Emma and Tabitha waited to hear the sound of front door opening and closing, before speaking again.

"When the Mayor asked you if you had loaned Henry your credit card, you said yes," said Emma.

"Yes, I did."

"But you said that you didn't know he was using it to find me."

"No. I didn't."

"You have to be eighteen or over to access this site," said Emma. "Henry didn't find me, did he? You did."

Tabitha smiled. "Henry told me about your superpower," she said. "Yes. I found you. But I did it for Henry. You don't know what it is like living with Regina, if it weren't me, she'd have Henry labelled as crazy by this entire town. It's only because I indulge Henry's theories that people don't look at him weird."

"But his ideas that everyone is a fairytale character," said Emma, shaking her head. "It's... ridiculous."

"Is it, really?" Tabitha asked. "I mean, you can't stand there and tell me that you didn't think, for one second as a child, that fairytales weren't real? That maybe there's another world out there, parallel to our own that holds places that we could only dream about. You may grow out of it as you get older, Emma, but at Henry's age imagination is the only powerful thing that you can have."

"That's why you gave him the book?" Emma asked.

"Partially. These stories, they're the classics; there's a reason we all know them. They're a way for us to deal with our world. A world that doesn't always make sense. Like, for example, when I found out that I was adopted. Fairytales were my way of dealing with the idea that my real parents didn't want me. I was able to escape into the Enchanted Forest, live amongst the pixies, ride horses with Prince Charming, fight battles with Snow White and experience the life of a princess with Cinderella. I wanted to give Henry a piece of freedom, which is why I gave him the book. I wanted him to have the most important thing anyone can have."

"What's that?"

"Hope." Tabitha answered. "Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing."

"You know where he is, don't you?" Emma asked, realizing Tabitha knew more than she was letting on.

Tabitha sighed. "Yes. I didn't wake up to find him gone this morning," she said. "I called the school and told them that Henry wouldn't be in today."

"Where is he?" Emma asked.

"I can take you to his castle."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

After receiving news that his wife had gone into labour, Avis rushed home.

Ella was sprawled out on their bed, her dark hair swept behind her, but still clinging to her forehead, and the nape of her neck. She had changed out of her travelling clothes and was now dressed in a pale blue nightgown.

"Ella, dear, Charming just gave me the news." Avis said, rounding the bed, and shedding his cloak. "How are you feeling?"

Ella shot him a dark look.

"Sorry. Sorry." Avis apologized, realizing a second too late how stupid his question was. "Doc, any news?"

"She's fully dilated," the village doctor answered. He was an old aging man, with soft blue eyes, and wrinkled skin. He had delivered many babies in the village, and Ella swore by his word, having been to see him countless times since she had become pregnant. "All we have to do now is starting pushing."

Ella looked terrified. "I can't," she whispered, breathing heavily.

"Ella, dear, it's going to be OK." Avis promised.

"But they'll be alone. All alone. In a world that it is not their own."

"They'll be safe." Avis told her. "You know they'll be safe, and they will have each other."

"But magic - She'll not know what to do without magic."

"Blood magic." Avis answered. "The letter explaining everything, it is both written and protected by magic. All she has to do is touch it, and read it, and everything will be fine. She'll remember everything, Ella, dear, I promise, she shall remember."

Ella whimpered as more pain ripped through her abdomen. "I'm scared, Avis, what if my vision is wrong?" she asked.

"It's not wrong." Avis said. "You can't think like that now, Ella, remember, you must have faith."

"Push, Ella, dear," said the doctor.

Ella took a deep breath and started to push.

"That's it, Ella, dear," said Avis, allowing her to squeeze his hand as hard as she could.

Ella screamed as her face turned red, and she was left gasping for breath.

"Push. Push. Push," the doctor coached. "Just a few more..."

A baby's cry broke the tension in the room, Ella sighed as she realized her job was partially over. But she hadn't finished yet.

"Which is it?" Ella asked, still breathing heavily. She was counting the minutes until she had to push again.

"It's a girl." Avis answered, as the doctor cut the cord, wrapped the newborn in a pale pink blanket, and then nestled her in his arms. "It's her, Ella, the defender."

Ella smiled, tiredly, before gasping, and collapsing back onto her pillows.

"It is time again, Ella, dear," said the doctor. "Just like before. Just push."

Unable to move, think or speak, Ella took a deep shuddering breath and pushed, harder than before. The sooner her second child was out, the safer she knew that she and the rest of the Enchanted Forest would be.

"Push, Ella," said Avis.

"I'm pushing!" Ella snapped, clutching her bed covers. Her knuckles turning white under the pressure.

"One more push, sweetheart," said the doctor.

"I can't." Ella cried.

"It's almost over, sweetheart," said the doctor. "Just one more push. Come on now, deep breath, and push."

Ella did as instructed and her painful cries filled the room.

A second cry, louder than its mothers, filled the small cabin. Ella collapsed onto her bed, breathing heavier than before; and more tired than ever. She wanted more than anything to sleep, but she also wanted to spend time with her children before they were taken away from her.

"You did it, Ella," said Avis. "I'm so very proud of you. I love you."

"I love you too." Ella answered, looking to the doctor. "Well?"

"Congratulations, Ella, dear, you are the proud mother of twins."

Ella smiled as the doctor placed her newborn son in her arms, and her husband lay beside her with their newborn daughter nestled in his. Both children had a head of dark hair, and their eyes were closed. She could only wish that their time together was longer, but Ella knew that now was not the time to be selfish, today was about more than just her and her little family.

Avis understood that his time with his children, and wife was limited. Soon he would have to open a portal to another world, a world were magic didn't exist, and send both his children through in order for them to grow, unaffected by the dark curse that would separate him and his wife for twenty-eight-years; but yet, he had a feeling that he would not make it that far.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Emma followed Tabitha across the abandoned playground. Ahead of them was a wooden castle, complete with four turrets and a slide.

"Why would Henry come here?" Emma asked.

"It's a place of escape." Tabitha answered. "I bring him here when he needs time away."

"You care about him, don't you?"

Tabitha nodded. "I missed out on the chance to be a mother," she answered. "I decided to take a chance when I came to Storybrooke, but finding a suitable partner is not an easy task, and then I met Henry, I figured that I would never get a second chance at having my own baby, but that didn't mean I couldn't protect or act like a mother to a child that wanted one so badly."

"It sounds like you were made for each other." Emma said.

"Maybe. But nothing beats the real thing." Tabitha said. "This is why I told Henry that I would help him find you. I know what it is like to be adopted, and always wrestling with the idea of never finding your real parents, i'm guessing that you feel the same?"

Emma looked startled. "How did you know?" she asked.

"I have the ability to read people," said Tabitha. "I guess you could call it a superpower."

Emma forced a smile.

"Here," said Tabitha, taking Henry's fairytale book from her bag, and handing it to Emma. "You talk to him."

"What do I say?" Emma asked, nervously.

"Whatever comes to mind. Just... don't call him crazy."

Emma hesitated, before nodding and climbed up into the castle. She scurried around, and sat beside Henry, while Tabitha walked around the outside of the castle, until she was standing beside the brunette on the sea front.

"Still hasn't moved, huh?" Emma asked, noticing that Henry was watching the face of the clock tower.

"I was hoping that when I brought you back, thinks would change here." Henry sighed. "That the final battle would begin."

"I'm not fighting any battles, kid." Emma said.

"Yes, you are." Henry protested. "You're here because it's your destiny. You're gonna bring back the happy endings."

"Can you cut it with the book crap?" Emma asked.

Tabitha shot her a warning look. "Look, you don't have to be hostile," she said. "He's just trying to help."

"Yeah, and I know you like me." Henry smiled. "I can tell. You're just pushing me away because I make you feel guilty. It's OK. I know why you gave me away."

"You do?" Emma asked, glancing at Tabitha. The young brunette shrugged.

"You wanted to give me my best chance," said Henry.

Emma looked away, tears of guilt shining in her eyes. "How do you know that?" she asked.

"It's the same reason Snow White gave you away."

"Listen, kid, i'm not in any book," said Emma, shaking her head. "And i'm no saviour. You were right about one thing, though. I wanted you to have you best chance. But it's not with me."

She slipped from the castle, and started to walk away.

Henry turned quickly to Tabitha.

"Emma," said Tabitha, chasing after the blonde. "Please just give him a chance. Just... one week. Stay here for one week. That's all we ask. One week, and you'll see that none of this is crazy."

"I have to get him back to his mother." Emma argued.

Tabitha shook his head. "I told you what life with Regina was like," she said. "Henry needs more than that. He needs the promise of a better tomorrow, and he's not going to get that with her."

"Then you take him," said Emma. "You seem to care about him enough. So why don't you take him from here?"

"Don't you think I would if I could?" Tabitha asked. "If taking Henry from Regina was easy then I would have done it a long time ago. But Regina has a hand like an iron fist, and once she clamps down on something, she won't let go. Emma, I have been by his side for the last ten-years, and I can honestly tell you that his life sucks."

"From what I've seen," said Emma. "He has a pretty good life. It doesn't suck to be the mayor's kid. Being left abandoned on the side of a freeway, sucks. My parents didn't even bother to drop me off at a hospital. I ended up in the foster system. And I had a family until I was three, but then they had their own kid, so they sent me back."

Tabitha watched as Emma's hard shell started to crack, talking about her history was obviously too hard for her. The experience of being adopted was hard, but to have your hopes shattered was something that neither Tabitha nor Henry had ever had to endure. They both had a family that had wanted them from the start.

"Your parents didn't leave you on the side of the freeway." Henry said, popping up beside Tabitha. "That's just where you came through."

Henry had heard everything Tabitha had said about taking him away from Storybrooke, if she had had the chance, and he couldn't help but feel hopeful that maybe there was a way to free himself from the Evil Queen. If he had to choose between his mother or his nanny then he'd chose Tabitha in a heartbeat, seeing as she had always been there for him.

"What?" Emma asked.

"The wardrobe." Henry answered. "When you went through the wardrobe, you appeared in the street. Your parents were trying to save you from the curse."

"Sure they were." Emma chuckled, before looking at Tabitha. "Come on, we have to get back before the sun sets."

Henry sighed and looked up at Tabitha.

"Don't worry, kid." Tabitha smiled, running her fingers through his hair. "She'll stay."

"Did you mean it?" Henry asked.

"Mean what?"

"Would you've taken me away, if you'd been given the chance?"

"Would you've come with me?" Tabitha asked.

Henry nodded.

Tabitha smiled and held her hand out to him. "Yes, if given the chance, I would've taken you away in a heartbeat."

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Please Review? Thanks!**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Sunday, October 06, 2013 at 03:36pm**


	4. Chapter 4: Something Worth Fighting For

**Author's Note:** Tabitha's twin is mentioned in this chapter. If you find it, and make the connection it holds, you get a sneak peak of the next chapter. Best of luck.

**Dedications:** Big thank you to the following: **Thunderyoshi, Last of the Lilac Wine** and** Hufflepuff Hex.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Once Upon a Time, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

Snow watched as the horse and carriage that contained her best friend, Ella Nixon, disappeared from the courtyard. It was only mid-afternoon and Ella had gone into labour with her two children. Snow had wished her the best of luck, and had sent Charming to alert Avis, who was working in the fields of the situation at his home.

With Ella returning home to give birth, Snow retired to her bedroom. Ella's words of how the Defender would find her daughter Emma in twenty-eight-years' time still weighed on the young Princess' thoughts as she lay on her double bed.

Snow understood that up until a certain age she would be able to protect her daughter from all the evils that came from the world, and that she could protect her from her destiny, but then would come the years where Emma would start to become independent, to want to venture out on her own. Growing up was something that Snow could not protect Emma from; but with a Defender by her side, Emma would be protected wherever she went, and Snow would rest easy knowing that she was safe. But twenty-eight-years were a long time to wait.

As she laid thinking, Snow's thoughts drifted back to Ella. They had been close friends since they were children; they had often ridden horses together after the Evil Queen had become Snow's step-mother. Ella had been there when Snow's father had died, and had comforted her friend when she was in denial over his death. Ella had been there when the Evil Queen had set out to kill Snow; she had even helped Snow White escape her clutches more than once; if Snow didn't know any better she would have said that Ella was her defender. But Ella wasn't a defender, she was a Seer, or at least, she used to be.

"Great news, Snow," said Charming as he entered the room. He removed his cloak from around his neck and hung it on the stand. "I've just heard news that Avis and Ella's twins have been born. A healthy baby girl and boy."

"Oh that's great news." Snow smiled, patting her own stomach lovingly. "And Ella is fine?"

"A little tired." Charming nodded. "But doing great."

Snow nodded and slipped from her bed. She walked to her desk and picked up a quill. If she couldn't see her best friend or the newborns until tomorrow, the least she could do was write a letter to Ella, congratulating her on her motherhood.

However, as she passed the window she realized that more time had passed than she expected. "How long ago were the twins born?" she asked.

"A few hours." Charming answered. "I was informed that you had come here, I believed you to be resting and didn't want to disturb you."

"I was thinking." Snow admitted.

"About?"

"I don't want to do this." Snow said, turning back to face her husband. "I don't want to leave you here to deal with the Evil Queen, or whatever curse she unleashes upon our kingdom."

Charming sighed and took her in his arms. "Snow, we've been over this," he said. "It has to be you."

"I'm not leaving you."

"It's the only way. You'll go in there and you'll be safe from the curse."

"He said it would be on her 28th birthday." Snow reminded her husband. She couldn't imagine being away from him for that amount of time.

"What are 28-years when you have eternal love?" Charming asked. "You will save me as I did you, and Ella promises that she'll have a defender. She said so herself. The defender will come."

Snow considered her husband, and then pulled him into a deep, yet passionate kiss. But the kiss didn't last long, as Snow felt the same pain that Ella had felt earlier a few hours previous, she pulled away and clutched her bulging stomach.

"What is it?" Charming asked, concerned.

"Baby." Snow whispered. "She's coming."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

On the way back into Storybrooke, Tabitha asked Emma to drop her off at the Sheriff's station, just so she could inform Graham that they had 'found' Henry.

As the brunette got out of the car, Emma glanced back at Henry who hadn't said a word since they had left the playground. "You're mother's doing her best, kid," she said. "I expect that being a single mother is difficult."

"She hasn't done anything for me." Henry answered. "It's always been Tabitha. When I was sick, Tabitha cleaned me up. When I had a fever, Tabitha soothed it away. When I was scared, Tabitha would sing to me, or tell me stories, she'd lay with me until I went back to sleep, and always promised that she'd never let the shadows take me away."

"The shadows?" Emma frowned.

"Yeah. They lived under my bed, and in my wardrobe." Henry answered. "When I was a baby, and was learning to walk and talk, I remember it being Tabitha who would help me. I owe Tabitha everything."

"Sounds like a keeper." Emma said.

Henry nodded. "I love her," he said.

"But you're mother must have done something for you," said Emma. She couldn't imagine Regina adopting a baby and then not wanting to spend any time with him. She had to have done something that made her worthy in Henry's eyes, even if it was just something small.

Henry looked considerate, before nodding. "Sometimes, if she wasn't busy, she would play with me. Make me laugh."

"See, she has some redeeming actions." Emma said, even though she knew that it should have been her that had cleaned, soothed, played, and promised Henry that everything would be OK, not Tabitha or Regina. But she had been too young to be a mother, and had given Henry up thinking he would have a better chance at life.

Just like he claimed her parents had done for her.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

The birth had been excruciatingly painful.

But the cries of her baby daughter were enough to put the painful labors of child birth out of Snow's head, and allow her to smile lovingly down at her newborn. She was wrapped in the blanket that Widow Lucas had knitted for her; it was cream with purple silk around the rim and her name woven onto the front.

"The wardrobe." Snow murmured. "It only takes one."

The sounds of fighting and clashing of swords reached the new parents, and fear started to settle within Snow's chest. Her daughter - the saviour - was only just born, and already in danger of being killed as the Evil Queen drew closer.

"Then our plan has failed." Charming said. "But, at least we're together."

As she looked down at her daughter, Snow remembered back to what Ella had said to her that morning. She had promised that the defender would come, that she would come to protect Emma, but Ella had not said anything about either of the children's mother's being present. That could only mean one thing.

"No. You have to take her." Snow said, looking up at her husband. "Take Emma to the wardrobe."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"It's the only way." Snow said. "You have to send her through."

"No, you don't know what you're saying." Charming argued.

"No, I do." Snow protested. "Yes, Ella said that the Defender would come, but she never said that I would be with Emma. She never saw either of us, or her and Avis, with the children. We have to believe that they'll find each other and come back for us."

Torn by his emotions, and conflicted upon the idea of letting his newborn daughter go through a magical portal into a world that he knew nothing about, Charming looked down at his daughter with tears in his eyes. She was so small, so precious to both himself and Snow, that he didn't want to part with her.

But he knew that his wife was right.

"We have to give her her best chance."

Realizing that there was no point in arguing with his wife, her mind was made up; Charming caved and leaned down to press a kiss to his daughter's forehead.

"Goodbye, Emma." Snow cried, kissing her daughter's forehead, and then carefully handing her over to Charming.

As her husband and daughter left, Snow sobbed into her pillow. She knew that she was doing the right thing, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Avis and Ella both looked up, as shouting and screaming from outside their little cabin, alerted them to trouble. The day had passed, quicker than either of them had anticipated, and they both knew that soon they would have to part with their newborns.

"What is it, Avis?" Ella asked, as her husband crossed to the front door. She was feeding her newborn daughter, who she had affectionately named Tabitha, a Greek name meaning beauty and grace. She would one day grow to be the defender. A strong individual, tasked with the most important job of all - protecting the saviour.

Avis didn't answer as he opened the door, and peered outside. People within the village ran screaming, and Avis could see why. In the distance, rolling towards his home like thunder clouds, was the dark curse that the Evil Queen had cast.

"It's the curse, Ella, dear, it is here."

Panic-stricken, Ella looked down at her children. Tabitha, and her brother Felix, a roman name that meant lucky and successful, were sleeping soundly. They had not awoken, or cried except for when they had been born.

"It's too soon, Avis," said Ella.

"I know, my love." Avis agreed. "But if our plan is to work, it must happen now."

Ella swallowed the lump in her throat, and tears burned her eyes as she lightly kissed each of her children on their heads. "Be safe, my darlings," she whispered tearfully, before passing each of them to their father, and watching as he disappeared through a swirling purple portal that he had opened whilst she had been saying goodbye.

_**My dear sweet, Ella.**_ Avis thought as he stepped through into the world without magic, and the portal closed behind him. _**I love you**_.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Meanwhile, back at the castle, Charming raced through the hallways cutting down enemy guards that got in his way. Stabbing his sword through the last of Regina's guards, Charming finally reached Emma's room and the fully functioning wardrobe. He put down his sword, opened the double doors and put Emma inside.

"Find us," he whispered to her, kissing her again. He then withdrew, closed the doors, and turned quickly, only to find a sword pointed at his chest.

"Stand aside." The guard said.

"You're too late." Charming said. "She's gone."

"Don't be foolish," said the guard. "You cannot hide her in a wardrobe. Stand aside."

"No." Charming said.

The guard growled and raised his sword, he swiped it across Charming's chest, slicing into his skin and causing blood to ooze from his wound, and onto his white shirt. Charming groaned and fell to his knees where he was dragged away from the wardrobe by another guard.

The first guard of Regina's army approached the wardrobe and opened the doors; he stopped and gasped as he saw that the newborn that had just been put inside was indeed missing. "Where is she?" he demanded of Charming.

Charming smiled as he saw that the wardrobe had worked. His daughter was gone. Safe from this land and the dark curse that threatened it. Protected from the woman that wanted, and had succeeded, in ripping apart a family that had fought long and hard to come together.

With his final passing thought being of his daughter's escape, Charming slipped into the darkness that was slowly crushing him from within.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Thank you." Regina said to Emma after she had brought Henry home. The Mayor noticed that Tabitha wasn't present, and assumed that she had done the right thing and requested to be dropped off in town to inform Graham that the situation had been resolved.

"No problem." Emma answered.

"He seems to have taken quite a shine to you."

"You know what's kind of crazy?" Emma asked. "Yesterday was my birthday, and when I blew out the candle on this cupcake I bought myself, I actually made a wish. That I didn't have to be alone on my birthday, and then Henry showed up."

"I hope there's no misunderstanding here." Regina said.

"I'm sorry?" Emma frowned.

"Don't mistake all this as an invitation back into his life." Regina explained. "Ms. Swan, you made a decision 10 years ago. And in the last decade, while you've been, well, who knows what you've been doing? I've changed every diaper, soothed every fever, and endured every tantrum. You may have given birth to him, but he is my son."

Surprised by Regina's sudden change of character, Emma couldn't help but answer back. "That's not what I've heard. From what I gathered Tabitha is the one that has been looking after Henry for the last ten years and, if I do say so myself, she has done an excellent job with him. It may be your name on the adoption papers, Madam Mayor, but as far as many are concerned, you share the role of 'mother' with Tabitha."

Regina seemed to bristle, but was cut off from answering Emma as Tabitha retuned. She was on foot, seeing as Emma had dropped her off and her own car was parked outside the Mayor's house; Graham had offered her to a ride, but Tabitha had opted out, preferring to walk instead of playing twenty questions with the Sheriff on what was going on with Henry.

"I'm interrupting something, aren't I?" Tabitha asked spotting the looks on both Emma and Regina's faces.

"No." Emma said, turning away from the Mayor. "I was just leaving. Watch your back," she added as an under whisper to Tabitha as she passed.

Tabitha frowned and turned after Emma, but Regina called her name and ordered her inside.

Knowing that it was better than to argue with the Mayor, especially when she was in the dangerous mood that she seemed to be in, Tabitha turned her back on Emma and hurried into the house. She was half-way up stairs when Regina closed the front door and asked her to join her in the study.

_**Oh, boy.**_ Tabitha thought, subconsciously wondering what she had done this time.

"If this is about Henry using my card to find Emma," said Tabitha, as she followed Regina through into the room off the hall. The door closed behind her, and Regina walked around so that she could see the young brunette up close. "Then I'm terribly sorry. I'll remember to reprimand him for his actions before bed."

"Ms. Swan said something of interest to me before she left." Regina said, ignoring Tabitha. "She said, after I had carefully explained that she was not needed in Henry's life anymore, informed me that you are viewed as Henry's mother, and that I am nothing more than just a name on a piece of paper. I hope you're not trying to corrupt my son, Tabitha."

"I would never -"

"No! You don't get to speak," interrupted Regina, hotly. "Actually, you don't get to do anything. You are a nanny. Someone I hired to help me look after Henry, but not replace me. You, just like Ms. Swan have no legal right to Henry and both of you are going to be held to that. Do you understand me?"

Biting her tongue, Tabitha nodded. "Yes, Madam Mayor," she answered. "Perfectly."

"Good. Because if you don't," said Regina, brushing past the young brunette and stopping at the door. "I will destroy you if it is the last thing I do."

She walked out, slamming the door behind her.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Night had fallen.

After tea, Regina retired to her study to finish off some paperwork that she had outstanding, while Tabitha took Henry upstairs to prepare his bath and get him ready for bed. She left him to play in his room while she was in the bathroom, and was in the middle of adding a small drop of bubbles to the water when Henry's voice calling her name caused her to jump.

Dropping the bottle onto the floor, Tabitha rushed from the bathroom and straight into Henry's room which was across the hall. She found him on the sofa under his window. His bedroom faced the town square, and the first thing you could see when looking out was the clock tower.

"What is it, Henry?" Tabitha asked, her heart beating a mile a minute. She had thought something bad had happened, and despite being in his own house, she knew the dangers that could occur without even leaving your own room. Something could have toppled over, trapping him underneath, or he could have fallen from his bed and hurt himself. The possibilities were endless.

"Look," said Henry, pointing out of the window.

"It's the clock tower, Henry," said Tabitha. "It hasn't moved in twenty-eight years, remember?"

"You mean it _hadn't_," corrected Henry.

Tabitha frowned. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Come look," said Henry, hurrying across the room. He caught her hand and pulled her back towards the window. He pointed at the clock tower again, his face a picture of excitement.

Peering out of the window, Tabitha paused, her mouth hanging open as she watched the hand on the clock face move from 8:15 to 8:16. "It moved," she murmured, knowing exactly what this meant.

"You were right, Tabs," said Henry, wrapping his arms around her. "She stayed. Emma stayed. The curse is weakening."

Tabitha smiled and hugged Henry back. Yes, the curse was weakening, which also meant that the final battle between Good and Evil was approaching, but they still had a long way to go before it actually hit Storybrooke.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Tuesday, October 08, 2013 at 2:17am**


	5. Chapter 5: Operation Cobra

**Author's Note**: Apologies. I got distracted with other stories and work. After watching the latest episode of Once Upon a Time season 3; I have noticed that this re-write will become AU as the story progresses in order to fit with my ideas. I hope that doesn't put anyone off. Also, hopefully the chapters will go from four chapters per episode to two. I haven't decided yet.

**Dedications:** Big thank you to the following: **XxrudexbutxnicexX, Bronzelove, Twilight Dark Angel**,** DarkMoon010, Kelsey112** and **LillyLunaK.**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Once Upon a Time, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

"Sheriff," Tabitha nodded as Graham sat down beside her in Granny's.

"Tabitha," Graham smiled. "Aren't you missing something?"

Tabitha smiled and shook her head. "Nah, I was awake before Henry this morning," she explained. "I left him to get ready for school while I run an errand."

"Ah," Graham nodded, ordering himself his usual morning coffee.

"You know that stuff will kill you eventually," said Tabitha.

"Can't start a morning without coffee," said Graham. "What are you drinking?"

"Usual. Hot chocolate with whipped cream and caramel."

Graham chuckled. "And i'm the one that's going to die first," he teased.

Tabitha smiled and thanked Ruby as she returned with her order. "Oh, can I get a bacon bagel, too?" she added to the young waitress.

"Sure. I'll be right back."

"I thought you were vegetarian?" Graham asked.

"I am," said Tabitha. "But Henry isn't, and something tells me that he won't be eating breakfast at home today."

Graham frowned, but chose not to comment. He paid for his coffee as Ruby returned and then turned to Tabitha. "Would you care to join me while you wait for Henry?" he asked.

"You're not going to interrogate me, are you?" Tabitha asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Don't have anything to hide, do you?" Graham countered.

Tabitha eyed him curiously, and then shook her head. "No, what would I need to hide?" she asked.

"Everyone has secrets."

"True. But Storybrooke is the type of place where everyone knows everyone's business," said Tabitha. "It's not exactly a place that a well-kept secret will stay silent for long now, is it?"

Graham nodded fairly as he slid into one of the empty booths, and motioned for Tabitha to sit opposite him. "Touché," he smiled. "You're on your game this morning."

"I kinda have to be when you're working for and living with the Mayor," agreed Tabitha.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Sitting in her study, Regina Mills flipped through her son's storybook.

She had been looking through it for most of the morning, and hadn't realized how much the characters actually resembled her and everyone else that she had brought over from the Enchanted Forest; no wonder Henry thought that they were all fairytale characters.

Reaching the end of the book the Mayor breathed heavily through her nose as she saw that the final pages of Snow White's story were missing. Biting back a growl, she stood up and made her way upstairs to her son's bedroom.

She found him standing in front of his mirror putting on his school tie.

"The missing pages. Where are they?" she demanded.

"It's an old book. Stuff's missing," Henry replied. "What do you care?"

"I care because you think i'm some Evil Queen," said Regina, catching his arm as he passed her. "And that hurts me, Henry. I'm your mother."

"No, you're not," Henry said, shaking his head. He broke free of her grasp and grabbed his books from the desk. He had agreed to meet Tabitha at Granny's for breakfast, before she dropped him off at school.

"Well, then who is?" Regina asked, stung by her son's words. "That woman you brought here? I don't like what she or this book is doing to you. Thankfully, both are no longer an issue."

Henry paused and then looked down at his school bag.

"What?" Regina asked, catching the distinct look on her son's face.

The clock in the square chimed.

Regina jumped and looked around in surprise. For the last twenty-eight years' time had be frozen in Storybrooke the clock should _not_ have been chiming.

Quickly, Henry stuffed the rest of his books into his bag, slung it over his shoulder and bolted for the door. He wanted to get as far away from his adoptive mother as possible, and meet up with Tabitha to see if she had gotten to Emma.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Would you like something to drink?"

"Do I look like I need a drink?" the Evil Queen demanded, glowering at her valet.

"I was only trying to help," he replied, handing her a glass of black liquid.

Regina hesitated, before taking the glass and nodding. "Thank you," she said, turning to her mirror as a face appeared within in.

"Now that was an awfully big threat," said the man in the mirror. "Destroy everyone's happiness? How do you plan on accomplishing that?"

"The Dark Curse," Regina smirked.

Both the valet and the man in the mirror gave similar starts. The Dark Curse was forbidden magic, it couldn't be controlled, and both feared that the Evil Queen was going too far in her hope of getting the revenge she believed she deserved.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty?" the valet asked, walking forward.

"But you said you'd never use it," the man in mirror reminded her.

"You made a deal when you gave away that curse," the valet added.

"You traded it away."

"She won't be happy to see you."

Regina spun around to face the older man. "Since when do I care about anyone else's happiness but mine?" she asked. "Prepare the carriage. We're going to the Forbidden Fortress."

The valet bowed and left the room.

The snow was thick, making it slightly difficult for the Evil Queen's carriage to cut through it. Ahead she could make out the black turrets of the Forbidden Fortress, where her one and only friend awaited her.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"How are you, dear?" Maleficent asked as she sat opposite Regina. They were sat in front of a giant fireplace as the flames crackled with life.

"I'm doing fine," Regina answered.

"Are you?" Maleficent asked, curiously. "If it were me, I'd be simply tortured, watching that flake of Snow so happy. Weren't you about the sage age when you were to be married before she ruined it all? Yes, you were."

"Yes, it was about the same age you were when that Sleeping Beauty got the best of you," countered Regina. "My dear Maleficent."

"I soldiered on," Maleficent said. "As you will, too. Hopefully."

"Enough games," Regina snapped. "You know why I'm here. I need my curse back."

"It's not yours anymore," Maleficent retorted. "A deal's a deal. I traded you my sleeping curse."

"Which failed. Undone by a simple kiss. Now please, return what's mine."

Maleficent looked away, before returning her attention back to Regina. "The Dark Curse? Really? You must know that not even its unholy power can bring your loved one back from the dead. Have you considered a pet?" she added, as Regina looked unwavering. She petted the horse that rested beside her. "They can be quite comforting."

"The only comfort for me is Snow White's suffering," Regina sneered.

"Well, it's her wedding night," said Maleficent, smugly. "I doubt she's suffering right now."

Leaning forward, Regina's voice dropped a notch and developed into a low and dangerous whisper. "I need that curse," she hissed. "I know you keep it hidden in the orb above your staff."

"Hidden for the good of all, old friend," Maleficent nodded. She wasn't about to _just_ hand over the curse, not while she knew how Regina's mind worked. "Whoever created that monstrosity makes the two of us look positively... moral."

Regina smirked and leaned back in her chair.

"Who did give it to you?" Maleficent asked, curiously.

"Where I got it from is none of your concern," said Regina, rising to her feet. "Hand it back."

The ground started to shake, as the walls quakes and a thunderous noise echoed around the overly large room.

"Must we do this?" Maleficent sighed.

"Alas, we must," Regina answered, causing the flames within the fireplace to surround her and charge towards Maleficent. The second witch jumped over her seat, and used her staff to block the flames. They burst outwards, and disappeared.

Regina glowered at her old friend, and then set her sights on the horse. It whined as it felt the shift in magic in the air.

"NO!" Maleficent screamed as Regina summoned every weapon within the room, and hurled them at her pet. She dived in front of it, shattering each of the objects before they could do any harm.

Growling in annoyance, Regina looked up and snapped the cord of the chandelier, hanging over Maleficent. It dropped and shattered over the shape-shifting witch and trapping her inside. With a flick of her wrist, Regina locked her against the wall, and then picked up the fallen staff with a delicate hand.

"Love is weakness, Maleficent," said Regina, stroking the orb at the top of the staff. "I thought you knew that."

"If you're going to kill me, kill me," screeched Maleficent.

"Why would I do that?" Regina asked. "You're my only friend."

"Don't do this," Maleficent pleaded. "This curse. There are lines even we shouldn't cross. All power comes with a price."

Regina, despite listening to her friend, turned the staff upside down and smashed the orb. A small scroll rolled across the ground, but stopped when the Evil Queen caught it between her fingers.

"Enacting it will take a terrible toll," Maleficent continued. "It will leave emptiness inside you. A void you will never be able to fill."

"So be it," said Regina, with a deadly smirk.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Ah, so you decided to stay," said Graham as Emma made her way over to where he was sitting.

"Observant. Important for a cop," Emma replied.

"Its good news for our tourist business," Graham nodded. "It's bad for our local signage."

Emma quirked an eyebrow at him.

"It's a joke," Graham stuttered. "Because you ran over our sign."

"OK. Look, the cocoa was a nice gesture," interrupted Emma. "And I am impressed that you guessed that I like cinnamon on my chocolate 'cause most people don't, but I am not here to flirt. So thank you but no thank you."

She set the mug down onto the table and turned to walk away.

"I didn't send it," Graham said, stopping her.

"Henry did," Tabitha said, appearing behind Emma. She was carrying her own hot chocolate, only this time it was a to-go cup rather than a mug.

Emma frowned at the brunette, who then pointed over her shoulder at the booth at the far end of the diner. Henry smiled and popped up from behind his seat.

"Hey, Emma," he grinned, waving happily.

"He likes cinnamon, too," Tabitha added, smiling at the blonde. "At first I thought it was just a quirk. But now I can see that he gets it from you."

Emma frowned. "Doesn't he have school?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tabitha nodded. "Normally he catches the bus, but i'm dropping him off today. You're welcome to join us."

"Huh, I don't know," Emma hesitated.

Tabitha chuckled and slid past her. "Come on," she said. "You can get to know him a little better then. I mean, he is the reason you stayed, right?"

Emma sighed and followed Tabitha and Henry outside.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

After dropping Henry off at school, Tabitha drove Emma back into town.

"So what's the deal with Henry and his mom?" Emma asked as Tabitha dove her back through the main street of town. Storybrooke only had one road, but it broke off into several different side roads making it seem like a bigger place.

"It's not about them, it's about the curse," Tabitha answered. "We have to break it."

"We?" Emma repeated.

"Well, technically _you_ have to break it," corrected Tabitha. "I'm just here to make sure that you live long enough."

"Excuse me?"

Tabitha smiled. "He didn't tell you about me, did he?" she asked.

"No."

"Henry believes you're the saviour, right?" asked Tabitha. Emma nodded. "Well, every saviour has a defender."

"A defender?" Emma repeated, unsurely.

"Yeah. A protector of sorts."

"I don't need protecting," said Emma, shaking her head.

"Oh, I know," Tabitha agreed. "But a defender isn't just someone who provides protection. It can be someone who provides moral support, or even someone to turn to when you need help, you know, someone you can trust."

"Unfortunately, i don't trust anyone," Emma sighed.

Tabitha smiled and turned onto the side street leading to Granny's. "That makes both of us," she said. "I think the only person that I _do_ trust is Henry."

"But at least you trust someone," Emma pointed out.

"Only because he was a cute and innocent baby that I took an instant liking too," said Tabitha. "I built a trusted foundation with Henry from the moment I was hired as his Nanny; it's going to take a lot to break the bond he and I share."

Emma looked thoughtful. "You said you're the defender," she said. "A protector. Are you Henry's protector?"

"No," said Tabitha. "Just his friend. Henry's not the saviour. He's just the product of one."

"How do you and Henry hope to accomplish breaking this so-called curse?" Emma asked.

"Henry has a plan."

"A plan?"

Tabitha nodded. "Yeah. It's called Operation Cobra," she explained.

"Cobra? That has nothing to do with fairy tales."

"Kinda the whole point," said Tabitha. "It's a codename. Using something to do with fairy tales or the curse, the Evil Queen will suss us out and come down on us like a ton of bricks, therefore we need something that is under the radar, but makes sense to us."

Emma nodded, looking slightly impressed. "Right, so let me get this straight, everyone here is a fairy tale character, they just don't know it?" she said.

"That's the curse," Tabitha nodded. "Time's been frozen, at least it had been until you got here."

"All right. What about their pasts?" Emma asked, digging around inside her pockets for something.

Tabitha frowned as she watched her. "Lose something?" she asked, curiously.

"No. I'm kinda hungry," said Emma. "Regina stopped by earlier to give me a few apples. I remember grabbing one on my way out, but I can't find it now. Must've left it at the diner."

"You say Regina gave it to you?" Tabitha asked.

Emma nodded.

"Word of advice," said Tabitha. "Don't eat anything that the she gives you. She's the Evil Queen, remember? She put Snow White under a sleeping curse with an apple."

"I thought no magic existed here?"

"It doesn't. But, magic can be created," said Tabitha.

Emma's eyes widened in response. "Seriously? I just thought it was a natural occurrence," she said.

"So did I," said Tabitha. "Until I found something that belonged to my real parents. It helped me realize exactly who I am, and what I'm supposed to do."

"Your parents?"

Tabitha nodded. "Yeah. Twenty-Eight years ago yesterday, my father, Avis Nixon, died after using all of his energy to bring me and my brother through a magical portal linked between this world and the Enchanted Forest, as for my mother, Ella Nixon, she was trapped on the otherside when the curse hit."

"So, she is here? In Storybrooke?" Emma asked.

"Yeah."

"Do you know who she is?"

Tabitha nodded. "She teaches Henry's swimming lessons," she explained. "Every Wednesday after three. She doesn't remember me because the curse has wiped her memories; but it is nice to know that she's at least alive."

"What about your brother?" Emma asked. "Is he in Storybrooke?"

"I wish," Tabitha murmured, shaking her head. "No. Something happened when I was eighteen. I lost everything I ever cared about. My mom, my dad, my brother..."

"Your baby?" Emma asked.

Tabitha sighed and nodded.

"I'm sorry," Emma apologized.

"Don't be," said Tabitha. "It wasn't your fault and, besides, these things happen. I mean, it's not like someone planned the whole accident to simply get me to do what they wanted to do."

"What about the father?" Emma asked.

"Gone. I broke up with him soon after finding out my baby was dead," said Tabitha. "I told him that I was sorry, but I couldn't handle sticking around a place that was a constant reminder of what had happened, and I wasn't about to ask him to drop everything he was doing to come with me. I left him in New York and came here to Maine."

"That's some getaway," said Emma.

"The further the better," said Tabitha. "Uh, coming back to your earlier question, you wanted to know about everyone's pasts?"

Emma nodded, surprised by the sudden change of conversation. "Uh, yeah," she stammered, as her brain tried to keep up with the pace of conversation.

"They don't know," said Tabitha. "It's a haze to them."

"How do you know?" Emma asked.

"You could ask anyone in this entire town, they won't be able to tell you anything. Go on," said Tabitha, pulling the car over to the side of the road as several people walked past. "Ask 'em. Ask 'em anything."

Emma smiled politely at the people outside of her window, and shook her head at Tabitha. "I'll take your word for it," she said, not wanting to look like an idiot in front of the townsfolk. "So, for decades people have been walking around in a haze, not ageing, with screwed-up memories, stuck in a cursed town that kept them oblivious?"

"I've gotta stop doubting Henry," said Tabitha. "When he's right, he's right."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, he guessed that you'd understand the situation straight away," said Tabitha, sharing a small smile with Emma. The blonde returned it, with a light chuckle. "Anyway this is why we need you. Being the saviour means that you're the only one who can stop the Dark Curse."

"Because i'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?" Emma asked.

"Yes, and right now we have the advantage," Tabitha said. "Regina doesn't know that you are the product of True Love. Here," she reached into the back seat of her car and pulled a couple of papers out from under her jacket. "Henry wanted me to gives these too you, I would've dropped them off this morning, but I figured you'd show up at Granny's at some point. Plus, you got to spend a bit of time with Henry."

"OK, but why are you giving these to me?" Emma asked, looking at the pages. "Are these out of the book?"

Tabitha nodded. "It's the ending," she said. "It's the part where you are mentioned. If Regina were to get her hands on them then she would know who you are, and what we intend to do."

"Tab..."

"Look, it's obvious that the hero never believes that they are destined for great things at first," said Tabitha. "If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story. If you need more proof than just my word, which is totally understandable because i'm not sure how much sense I have actually made in the last hour; then I suggest you read the pages, but whatever you do, do not let Regina see them."

"If it is so important for Regina not to see them," said Emma. "Why not burn them?"

"That's plan B," said Tabitha. "Or is it plan C? You know, it might be plan C, i'm not sure, but that's beside the point. Please, Emma, both Henry and I are counting on you to keep these pages safe, we can't do our jobs, and I can't protect Henry if Regina gets her hands on the them."

"They're that dangerous?"

"And then some," Tabitha nodded.

Emma sighed and rolled up the pages. "Alright," she caved. "I'll keep them safe."

"Thanks," Tabitha smiled. "Listen, i'm picking Henry up after school at 3:00. You're welcome to join me, if you like. I know Henry would love to spend time with you, and maybe we could get started."

"Started?"

"Yeah, on the rest of Operation Cobra."

"Hey, whoa, wait a minute," said Emma, turning to look at Tabitha through the car window. She had just got out after Tabitha had pulled up outside Granny's bed and breakfast. "I never said I'd be a part of Operation Cobra. I'm still finding all of this hard to believe."

Tabitha smiled and shook her head. "You decided to stay," she called over the roar of her engine. "That's good enough for both Henry and I. See you later, Emma; I'll pick you up about ten too." She nodded once, put the car into first gear, and pulled away from the curb, leaving Emma to watch her drive off down the street.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**This was such a bitch to get started. But I managed it in the end. There wasn't much Emma/Henry interaction in this chapter, mostly because I'm trying to set the basis for Emma and Tabitha's friendship, but trust me when I say that there is **_**plenty**_** of mother/son moments between Emma and Henry to come. We also got to know more about Tabitha and what happened to her. There will also be more to come on this soon too.**

**Keep reading.**

**Please Review? Thanks!**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 05:25am**


	6. Chapter 6: Bail Out

**Author's Note**: I know I promised an update very Saturday and Sunday but it is just not possible at the moment. I do, however, have a week off, so I will try and get some chapters updated in the next week; but all stories of mine are currently on the back burner – at least until Christmas break.

**Dedications:** Big thank you to the following: **Gotta Love Winter, Da'Ink, RiverWinchester** and **KingdomHeartsNerd.**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Once Upon a Time, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

**To Break a Curse**

**By xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

* * *

With Henry at school and Emma back at the bed and breakfast, Tabitha returned to the Mayor's house to clean up Henry's bedroom. She hadn't made it two steps inside the door when Regina came out of her study carrying Henry's book under her arm.

_**Uh-oh!**_ Tabitha though wearily. She didn't like the look on Regina's face, and was starting to wonder if she was in trouble again. "Good morning, Madame Mayor," she said, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere she could feel building.

"Where are they?" Regina demanded, ignoring the pleasantries.

"I'm sorry?" Tabitha asked, removing her jacket.

"The missing pages?" Regina asked, opening the book to the last section of the Snow White story. "Henry claims this is an old book, but I don't believe for a second that you would give him something that is outdated. You've spoilt him rotten from the day I hired you as his nanny, everything he has in pristine condition, why would this book be any different?"

Tabitha shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "The book is an old family heirloom. My mother used to read it to me when I was a little girl, and after she passed it was something that I held on to, I guess."

"And you gave it to Henry?" Regina asked. "Something as sentimental as that, and you just gave it up?"

"I knew that it was in good hands," Tabitha answered. "And it's not like I would never see it again. I read it to Henry nearly every night, he's got such a wild imagination that Fairytales are the only things that seem to contain him."

Regina tightened her grip on the book. "If I find out you are lying to me, Tabitha," she threatened.

"I'm not," Tabitha said calmly. "Can I ask what you are doing with the book?"

"I don't like what it is doing to my son," Regina answered. "It has poisoned his mind, turned him against me, made him believe that I am some evil queen that is bent on destroying everyone's happy endings - I will not let some fairytale come between me and my son, therefore I have confiscated the book."

Tabitha bit the inside of her lip to keep from retorting. "Good idea," she praised. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things that I need to get done before I pick Henry up from school."

"No," Regina stopped her. "There's been a change. I will explain it in more detail with both you and Henry tonight, but I want Henry to start catching the bus to and from school, I think it is high time that he starts interacting with children his own age and making friends."

"Is that your way of telling me that you don't want me around Henry, Madame Mayor?" Tabitha asked.

"Not any more than you need to," Regina said. "You are his nanny, Tabitha, not his friend. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Tabitha answered, gritting her teeth.

"Good," Regina said, before disappearing back into the study.

Breathing sharply, Tabitha grabbed her keys from the bowl near the front door, and stalked back out to her car. The last thing she wanted to do was spend another minute in a house with a rabid Regina on the rampage.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Meanwhile after being dropped off outside Granny's bed and breakfast, Emma made the conscious decision to look around the small town of Storybrooke, just to get herself acquainted with the place. If she planned on staying here then she should at least get to know her surroundings. The last thing she wanted was get lost if she ever ventured out without Henry or Tabitha to show her the way.

During her walk Emma found that she had returned the school. It seemed the children where on Recess, she could see Henry playing with a few other kids in the school yard, but she didn't call out to him or distract him. She wasn't there to see him, per say, but she couldn't help but smile as she watched him interact with the other children.

"It's a nice feeling, isn't it?"

Emma jumped and looked up to see that she had been joined with a petite woman with black pixie cropped hair, and blue eyes. "I'm sorry?" she asked, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, sorry, i'm Mary-Margret Blanchard," the woman introduced. She looked no older than 28-years herself. "Henry's teacher - I was just saying that it's a nice feeling, just watching them plays, and be carefree."

"Yeah," Emma nodded, her gaze drifting back to Henry.

"You're her, aren't you?" Mary-Margret asked. "The woman Henry always talks about. His birth mother?"

"I guess," Emma said. "Honestly? I don't know what I'm supposed to be to him right now. He just showed up on my doorstep, out of the blue, I mean, it was really unexpected."

"Usually the unexpected is what leads us into amazing things," Mary-Margret said. "Henry's a very special boy, you're very lucky to have him back in your life. Believe me."

Emma couldn't help but smile, but she couldn't find the right words to express how she was feeling.

"It's actually rather nice to see Henry smiling again," Mary-Margret continued.

"I didn't do anything," Emma said, shaking her head.

"I think you're just being modest," Mary-Margret said. "You're here. Most children don't get the luxury of seeing their biological parents again."

Emma nodded, sighing heavily. "Tell me about it," she said, muttering.

"Oh, i'm sorry," Mary-Margret said, realizing her mistake. "I didn't mean -"

"It's OK," Emma assured her. "You didn't know."

"Does the Mayor know you're here?" Mary-Margret asked, curiously. "I mean here in Storybrooke, not here at the school."

"Yeah, she knows," Emma nodded. "She's not particularly happy about it, but she knows. What is her deal? She's not a great people person. How did she get elected?"

"She's been Mayor as long as I can remember," Mary-Margret answered. "No one's ever been brave enough to run against her. She inspires quite a bit of, well, fear."

"Tabitha seems to have her hands full with her," said Emma.

Mary-Margret nodded. "Sometimes I wonder how she manages to put up with it all," she agreed. "But I do believe Tabitha only puts up with Regina's temper tantrums for Henry's sake. She's been great with him from the moment she arrived in Storybrooke."

"So I've heard," Emma nodded. "Do you know anything about Henry's fantasies?"

"You mean that how this whole place originated from a Dark Curse, and that we're all storybook characters?" Mary-Margret asked with a smile. "Yes. The Mayor already spoke to me about it, I think she believed that he had picked it up here at school, but this was before she knew about the book Tabitha had given him."

"That book seems to have caused a lot of trouble, huh?" Emma asked.

"More than you know," Mary-Margret nodded. "But I don't think Tabitha regrets giving it to Henry, it's become something of a prized possession since he received it."

"Who does he think you are?" Emma asked, curiously.

Mary-Margret chuckled. "Oh, it's silly," she said.

"I just had ten minutes of silly," Emma said, referring to the car ride to and from the school with Henry and Tabitha. "Lay it on me."

"Snow White."

Emma felt her heart skip a beat. If Henry believed this woman to be Snow White then that meant he believed Mary-Margret to be her mother.

"Who does he think you are?" Mary-Margret asked, oblivious to Emma's realization.

"I'm not in the book," Emma answered, unable to wrap her head around her findings. "Can I ask you a favour?" she added, quickly as the school bell rang, signaling the end of recess. "Regina mentioned the kid's in therapy. Do you know where I could find the doctor?"

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Archie Hopper paused in his reading and looked up. He had just finished a session with Tabitha Nixon, who had come in to talk about some underlying feelings that she had been having since her birthday - he had been seeing Tabitha for roughly ten-years now, and had deduced that much of her 'problems,' for the lack of a better word, stemmed from a car crash she had been in when she was eighteen-years-old.

Unfortunately for Tabitha the crash had occurred, specifically on her eighteenth birthday and resulted in her losing everyone she ever cared about. Her foster parents, Shannon and Darren Barnes had died at the scene, her unborn son, whom she had decided to call Ben, had died during the collision, and her brother, Felix - well, he hadn't died in the crash, but he hadn't been there when Tabitha had woken up in hospital, almost a week later, either. He had been missing for nearly ten-years, and while New York Police Department considered his case to be unsolved, and closed, Tabitha was still convinced that her brother was alive somewhere.

"He's alive," Tabitha would always argue when confronted with the possibility that she is looking for a ghost. "I know he is."

But it was the not knowing that was causing most of Tabitha's problems.

"Emma Swan," Archie smiled, putting Tabitha's notes on the desk, covering a newspaper he had been reading before about the woman who was now in his office. "Let me guess. You're here for help with a little post-traumatic stress?"

Emma forced a grim smile.

"That diagnosis was free, by the way," Archie chuckled.

"No, I'm here about Henry," Emma said.

Archie nodded. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't..." he said, knowing that it was against procedure to indulge in his clients personal issues.

"I know. I'm sorry, I just..." Emma stammered, unsure of how to proceed. "Just tell me something. This fairytale obsession. What is causing it? I mean, he thinks everyone is a character in his book. That's... crazy."

Archie grimaced. "I hope you don't talk that way in front of him," he said. "I've already talked to Tabitha and Regina about this, the former more than the latter, but the word 'crazy' is quite damaging. These stories. They're his language. He has no idea how to express complex emotions so he's translating as best he can. This is how he communicates. He's using this book to help deal with his problems."

"But he got the book a month ago," Emma said. "Has he been seeing you longer than that?"

"Um," Archie said, biting his lip. "Yes, he has."

"So it's Regina, isn't it?" Emma asked, quickly.

"Ah, his mother is a very complicated woman," Archie explained. "And, uh, over the years, her attempts to try and bring Henry closer have only backfired."

"Is that Tabitha's fault?" Emma asked. "Because I've seen how close she and Henry are."

Archie forced a smile. "I wouldn't say she is to blame, exactly," he nodded. "But her ability to bond with Henry certainly hasn't helped Regina. Why don't you take a look at the file," Archie suggested, walking to his cabinet and sifting through the folders. He found Henry's and handed them over to Emma. "You'll see what I mean."

"Why are you doing this?" Emma asked, half-curiously, but also half-suspiciously. If it was against procedure to divulge personal information about clients, why would Archie be giving her Henry's file? She didn't mean to sound rude, but there were certain aspects that didn't seem to add up with the whole deal.

"Well, he talks about you a lot," Archie answered. "You're very important to him."

Surprised, Emma clutched the file to her chest. "Well, thank you," she said.

"Just see that I get it back, OK?" Archie said, opening the door for her. For the sake of the boy," he added as Emma passed him. "Be careful how you handle his belief system. Destroying his imagination would be... devastating."

Emma nodded in understanding and left the building.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Tabitha watched from her car as Mary-Margret led her class out in to the front yard for their science lesson. She smiled and raised her hand in acknowledgement as Henry looked her way, but she didn't get out to greet him. Taking Tabitha's lead, Henry walked over to his usual spot, and sat down. If she had been there to see him then she would've gotten out of the car when he had stepped outside.

"...Carbon dioxide and water synthesize," Mary-Margret read from the book in front of her. Science was one of her favourite lessons with her students, not only weren't they confined to a classroom, but they seemed to engage better with the lesson when they were outside in the fresh air.

Mid-way through the lesson, someone cleared their throat and interrupted Mary-Margret's lecture. The pixie-haired woman stood abruptly as Mayor Mills stood on the sidelines of her lesson, she closed her book and walked over, leaving her class to mutter between themselves, and Henry, who had been busy taking notes, to close his book and look sheepish.

"May I speak with my son?" Regina asked.

"We're in the middle of a lesson," Mary-Margret said, trying to take control. She knew it was pointless, but she had to at least try. "Is it important?"

"Do you think I'd be here if it wasn't?" Regina snapped. "Henry," she called to her son, walking away, leaving Mary-Margret rather red-faced and humiliated.

Upon seeing Regina, Tabitha reclined in her seat as not to be caught by her employer. Regina had already warned her about waiting for Henry, insisting that he interact with other children his age, and not with just her. But she had always picked Henry up from school; it was a tradition that she had no intention of breaking.

"Sweetie, I have some bad news," Regina continued. "The woman who you brought here, she's been arrested. She broke into Dr. Hopper's office and stole his files. She's a con woman. She's trying to learn about us in order to take advantage of us. That's why she's sticking around. I'm sorry."

"No, you're not," said Henry, shaking his head.

"I know you think otherwise," Regina responded, slightly frustrated with her son's defiance. "But all I am doing is trying to protect you. This is gonna be good for us. You'll see. Things will be better."

The school bell rang, and Henry hastily took his leave.

"I gotta get back to class," he said, brushing past his mother, and running back in to the school. He would now wait for his mother to leave school grounds, and then come back to meet Tabitha, he knew that she'd help him bail Emma out of police custody. She had too.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Emma sighed as she stood in front of Graham as he took her photograph. He had randomly turned up at her room, claiming that she had stolen Henry's files from Dr. Hopper, despite wanting to believe her; Graham had arrested her and brought her back to the station to be charged.

"Come on, you know the shrink is lying," said Emma, cringing as the light flashed in her eyes, nearly blinding her.

"To the right, please," Graham instructed. "Why would he lie?"

"The Mayor put him up to this," Emma answered, frustratingly. "She's gotta have something on him. He's terrified of her. Like everyone else in this town."

Graham pointed to the left, indicating that Emma was to turn that way.

"Regina may be a touch intimidating," Graham said, preparing the camera again. "But I don't think she'd go as far as a frame job."

"How far would she go?" Emma asked. "What does she have her hands in?"

"She's the Mayor," Graham answered with a light shrug. "She has her hands in everything."

"Literally," Tabitha said, walking into the room with Henry in tow. "And yes, Emma, I do mean including the police force."

"Tabs, what are you doing here?" Graham asked. "And with Henry? I thought Regina made is clear that you weren't to pick him up from school?"

Tabitha narrowed her eyes at the Sheriff. For him to know that meant that Regina had told him beforehand, seeing as the Mayor had only broached the subject with her earlier that morning.

"Technically, I'm not allowed to collect him _after_ school," said Tabitha. "He has an hour for lunch, and since Regina told him what happened with Emma, I figured that he could use something other than cafeteria food, after we've bailed her out."

"You're bailing me out?" Emma asked, looking surprised. "Why?"

"Why not?" Tabitha asked. "We both know you didn't do anything."

"At least someone believes me," Emma sighed.

"More than just me," Tabitha assured her. "Right, Henry?"

"Of course," Henry grinned. "Emma, you're a genius!"

"What?" Emma frowned.

"I know what you were up to," Henry smiled. "You were gathering Intel. For Operation Cobra."

Emma glanced up at Tabitha who nodded.

"I'm sorry, I'm a bit lost," Graham frowned, blinking in confusion.

"That's OK, Graham," said Tabitha. "It's a need to know project that Henry and I have going on with Emma, and all you need to know is what we've already told you."

Emma smiled at Henry, and turned to Graham. "Well, if you could uncuff me," she said. "I have something to do."

Graham sighed and unlocked the cuffs. He then handed Emma back her jacket, and watched her leave the station with Tabitha and Henry.

"What exactly are you going to do?" Tabitha asked.

"I'll tell you later," Emma said. "Why don't you just focus on Henry for the time being, and we could meet up later to discuss, uh, Operation Cobra?"

Tabitha smiled and nodded. "Henry's got a therapy session tonight," she said. "How about we meet at Granny's say, 7:30ish?"

"Sounds like a plan," Emma nodded.

"Cool. See you later, Emma," Tabitha smiled, fishing her car keys from her pocket and returning to Lexus. She unlocked the doors, and climbed inside with Henry. They had just enough time to take-out burger from Granny's before getting back to school.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, November 02, 2013 at 07:53pm**


	7. Chapter 7: Crazy

**Author's Note: **Here is the next chapter. Sorry for not updating on Sunday.

**Dedications: **Big thank you to the following: **Kelbel1347, Alphalumbo98** and **Ergelina**.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Once Upon a Time. It is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character (s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

After being bailed out, Emma went directly to the hardware store. She was exceptionally good at finding people, and she had a knack for telling when someone was lying. Both qualities had helped in her life hunting down bail-jumpers, but there was a third quality - the underbelly, the dark link between the first two, she sometimes thought - that made her really good at what she did.

Push her far enough, and she could find chinks in armor, too. She knew how to hit people right where it hurt. If she wanted, she could find those chinks, and when she did, she wasn't afraid to start shooting.

She chose a chain saw with a two-stroke engine, asked a clerk to it out of the box and gas it up, and paid when her credit card.

"Doin' a little yard work?" asked the woman behind the counter.

"Oh, you could say that," Emma nodded.

_Who the hell does Regina think she was? Take something precious from me,_ Emma thought, _and I will return the favour_. The thought moved in a circle; Emma's rage kept her from going much further than that as she strode down the Main Street. She hit the choke and yanked the rip cord as she walked into the back garden, eyeing Regina's apple tree.

Apples meant something the woman - she knew it. At the trunk, Emma hesitated, and then decided not to take the whole thing down. A major limb would suffice. A wound, but not a mortal wound. This was only the beginning, and she wasn't quite ready to use the nuclear option.

The Solo cut through the branch with relative ease, and the limb emitted a satisfying CRRAAACCKK just before it fell from the tree.

Emma smiled and stepped back.

She didn't need to look up at the window - she had sensed Regina there, watching it happen.

After a moment of silence, with the smell of gasoline and oil in the air, the wounded tree not complaining at all, Regina burst outside.

"What are you doing?" she screamed, striding toward Emma, who raised the chain saw like a weapon. It wasn't running, and it was not as though she would cut Regina in half. She wasn't quite to that point, yet.

"Picking apples," Emma replied, coolly.

"You're out of your mind."

Emma took a step forward and met her in front of the broken tree. "No. You are if you think your shoddy frame job is gonna scare me off. You'll have to do better than that, lady. Come at me again, and I'll be back for the rest of this pile of bark and worms. Because, sister, you have no idea what I'm capable of."

She turned and walked away, leaving Regina beside the branch, speechless. Over her shoulder, Emma said, "You're move."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

The Evil Queen stood alone in the darkness, glaring at the rock formations around her meeting spot. Her subjects had long since been gone, leaving her to mull over her thoughts on why her spell had not worked.

"Maybe it's for the best," her valet said, approaching from the side. "The forces you're summoning are darker than we can conceive."

Regina shot him a cold, cruel look.

"Oh, now you're trying to protect me?" she sneered.

"It's what I do," the valet nodded.

"I know," Regina answered, her gaze softening. "You're the only one who does."

"Helping you is my life."

"Then help me understand why this curse isn't working."

"If you want to know that," the valet said. "Then you need to go back to the person who gave it to you in the first place."

The Evil Queen seethed and looked away.

"Revenge is a dark and lonely road," the valet added. "Once you go down it, there is no heading back."

"What is there for me to head back to?" the Queen asked.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Rats squeaked from all four corners of the room. One was chewing an apple that had been discarded, while several more scurried across the floor.

"It's just us, dearies," Rumplestiltskin cooed. "You can show yourself."

A black rat stopped and, in a puff of black smoke, transformed into the Evil Queen. She cracked her neck, and looked up at the imp opposite her.

"That curse you gave me," she said. "It's not working,"

"So worried," Rumplestiltskin said. "So, so worried. Like Snow and her lovely new husband."

"What?" The Evil Queen asked.

"They paid me a visit as well. They were very anxious about you and the curse."

"What did you tell them?"

"The truth," said Rumplestiltskin. "That nothing can stop the Darkness. Except, of course, their unborn child. You see, no matter how powerful, all curses can be broken. Their child is the key. Of course the curse has to be enacted first."

"Tell me what I did wrong."

"For that, there's a price."

"What do you want?"

"Simple," Rumplestiltskin said. "In this new land, I want comfort. I want a good life."

"Fine. You'll have an estate. Be rich."

"I wasn't finished. There's more."

"There always is with you."

Rumplestiltskin laughed. "In this new land," he continued, "should I ever come to you for any reason, you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say. So long as I say please."

"You do realize that should I succeed, you won't remember any of this?" the Evil Queen told him.

"Oh, well, then, what's the harm?"

"Deal."

Rumplestiltskin chuckled, like a small child that had just gotten his own way.

"What must I do to enact this curse?" the Evil Queen asked.

"You need to sacrifice a heart."

"I sacrificed my prized steed," the Evil Queen answered.

Rumplestiltskin jumped forward, and reached for her neck through the bars of his cage. "A horse?" he hissed. "This is the curse to end all curses. You think a horse is gonna do? Great power requires great sacrifice. The heart you need must come from something far more precious."

"Tell me what will suffice."

"The heart of the thing you love most."

"What I loved most died because of Snow White," the Evil Queen sneered, as she grabbed his hand and pulled it from her throat.

"Oh, is there no one else you truly love?" Rumplestiltskin asked, smoothing his finger down her cheek. She stared at him, cold and hard. "This curse isn't gonna be easy. Vengeance never is, dearie. You have to ask yourself a simple question. How far are you willing to go?"

The Evil Queen leaned forward towards the cage. "As far as it takes," she answered her voice low and dangerous.

"Then please stop wasting everyone's time and just do it," Rumplestiltskin told her. "You know what you love. Now go kill it."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Having finally cooled down with a walk in the woods, Emma returned to Granny's B&B with new resolve. She didn't know how, but she was going to find a way to be a part of Henry's life. Regina may not have been all that thrilled with the idea, but already Emma knew that she had a friend in Storybrooke, someone who was concerned about Henry's wellbeing as much as she was - Tabitha. Tabitha had been the person who had helped Henry find her in the first place, Tabitha had also done everything she could to convince Emma to stay in Storybrooke. If Regina didn't want Emma to be a part of Henry's life, Emma knew that Tabitha would help her out as much as she could.

They were similar, Emma and Tabitha. They had both been orphaned on the day they had been born. They both had become pregnant when they were eighteen; both had been single since their teens, having ended things - rather abruptly - with their partners. There was only one or two differences between the two women - Tabitha had a twin brother, and lost her baby, and Emma had had a son, and was an only child, otherwise they had almost identical lives.

"Miss. Swan?" said Granny as she stopped Emma outside of her room. She looked rather uncomfortable.

Emma shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to the elder woman. "Oh, sorry," she apologized. "Heads in the clouds. Did you say something?"

"I said that this was terribly awkward," Granny repeated. "But we have a no-felon policy here. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"What?" Emma said. "The newspaper report? From this morning?"

Granny nodded sadly.

Emma, no longer surprised by any of it, produced the key to her room. "And let me guess," she said. "It was a call from the mayor's office that reminded you of your own policy."

"We try to keep things safe for our travelers," Granny said, taking the key. "That's all. You can collect your things, but I'll need you to leave after that."

_Well, I've lived in a car before_; Emma thought as she entered her former room and started to pack up her things. She didn't have very much with her, so the walk down to her car was a one trip deal. But when she got out to the yellow VW, she squinted as she saw a boot on her front tire. "What...?" she gasped, realizing that there was only one person who could've done this.

Regina.

_Did the woman ever take a break?_

Just as she had the thought, Emma's cellphone rang. She didn't recognize the number.

She did, however, recognize the voice.

It was Regina. She wanted to make a deal.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

A few hours later, Tabitha leant against her car outside the school watching as the other students rushed in every direction. Some clambered aboard the school bus, while others raced out of the gates and climbed into their parent's cars. Henry was amongst those who were walking towards the school bus, but he stopped when he spotted her.

"Tabs," Henry called rushing to the front of the school gates. He halted at the side of the road, and waited for Tabitha to cross. "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't allowed to pick me up?"

"You really think your mother is going to check whether or not you've been on the bus?" Tabitha asked. "Besides, when was the last time I ever let you get on a bus - the trip to Boston doesn't count," she added quickly.

Henry smiled. "But what if she asks me?" he asked, as Tabitha took his hand and led him across the road.

"Then make something up," Tabitha shrugged, unlocking the car automatically. "I highly doubt that she is going to check with your friends."

"What friends?"

Tabitha shot him a look.

Henry grined cheekily, and opened the back doors of the car, he tossed his backpack in, and then climbed into the passenger's seat.

"Seatbelt," Tabitha instructed.

"Can we stop for ice cream?" Henry asked, slotting his clip into place.

"You're going to have dinner soon," Tabitha said, starting the engine.

Henry stuck out his lower lip and pouted at Tabitha.

"Aw, kid," Tabitha groaned. "Fine. Just don't tell your Mom."

"My lips are sealed."

Tabitha rolled her eyes and pulled away from the curb, oblivious to the look on Mary Margret's face as she watched from the schoolyard.

~***To Break a Curse*~**

Throwing her bag into the car, Emma turned and walked the half mile to the mayor's office. The two women greeted one another tensely, and Regina motioned for Emma to sit. She brought over a drink - not cider this time - and had one herself.

"Thank you for coming," Regina said. "I'd like to be civil. I think we can make it work."

"Make what work?" Emma asked.

"All of it," Regina said. "You. Here. I get the sense that you're more determined than ever to stay in town. And i'm not blind. I know that standing in my son's way will only make him want something even more than he already does."

Emma relaxed - a little - and sank back into her chair. She took a breath. "OK," she said. "I'm listening."

"I accept that you're here to take my son from me."

"That's not what I'm doing here," Emma replied, shaking her head.

"Then why are you here?" Regina asked.

Emma wasn't entirely sure herself; she'd been grappling with the same question all day.

"I know i'm not a mother. I think that's pretty self-evident," she said finally. "But I did have him. And I can't help it, he got in my head, and I want to make sure he's OK. The more you push me out, the more I want to be here, especially after seeing how troubled he is."

"You think he's troubled?"

"Well, he's in therapy," Emma said, pointing out the obvious. "And I only got through a couple of pages of his shrink's notes before you had me arrested. But putting all that aside, he thinks everyone in this town is a fairytale character. That's not a great sign."

Regina nodded. "And you don't, I take it?"

"Of course I don't. I don't think my mother is Snow White, or that you're the Evil Queen any less than I think Tabitha is the Defender."

"The what?" Regina frowned.

"You know," said Emma. "The Defender. Protector of Magic - or the saviour - whatever, the point is Henry's having a hard time distinguishing between fantasy and reality. All of it is crazy."

Emma frowned, seeing Regina's grin. Her eyes had ticked to the right, and Emma heard the door creak. She jumped to her feet and spun around.

Horrorstruck, Emma found Henry, a look of sadness on his face, standing in the doorway watching.

"You think i'm crazy?" he said, his eyes welling up. Emma's heart shot up to her throat.

"Henry, no, I -"

But it was too late, Henry was running back out of the office. The door swung behind him, crashing into the wall, and Emma saw that Henry was heading towards Tabitha's car. The white Lexus stalled as Tabitha over-missed the biting point, and Henry ripped open the passenger's side door, he dove inside and slammed it shut behind him.

There was a split second and then the car disappeared down the street.

Furious, Emma turned to Regina. "How long was he there?" she asked.

"Long enough," Regina smirked.

Emma, her pulse racing, felt the anger mixing with sadness and regret. She had lost - she had hurt Henry. It didn't matter how it had happened. She was a fool to have come here. "You knew he'd be here, didn't you?" she demanded.

"Did I know that my son comes to my office every Thursday at precisely 5:00pm so I can take him for dinner before his therapy session? Of course I did. I'm his mother. Your move."

"You have no soul," Emma said to Regina. "How in the hell did you get like this?"

It was all she could think to say before leaving the office.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Wednesday, November 06, 2013 at 3:50am**


	8. Chapter 8: Henry

**Author's Note:** I had four reviews last chapter. Where did every one go? Please, please review. I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks.

**Dedications: **N/A

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Once Upon a Time. It is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character (s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

Furious with Rumplestiltskin answer, the Evil Queen stormed through her dark castle and into her viewing room. She was met by her valet and the talking mirror.

"What happened?" the man in the mirror asked. "Did you get your answer? What's going on? Your Majesty. Your Majesty!"

But the Evil Queen didn't answer.

"Did Rumplestiltskin tell you what you needed to know?" the valet asked, as he entered the room.

"Yes."

"And?"

"I'm not sure I should say," she admitted. "I'm conflicted."

"How bad is it? Maybe I can help."

"I have to cut out the heart of the thing I love most," the Evil Queen answered, staring in the flames of her fire.

There was a pregnant pause as the words sunk in.

"Me," the valet murmured.

Conflicted by her emotions, the Evil Queen turned to her valet, tears evident in her eyes.

"Daddy, I don't know what to do," she said.

"My dear," the valet said, shaking his head. "Please. You don't have to do this."

"I have to do something."

"Then move past this. I know this mind sound self-serving, but you don't need to enact the curse."

"But I can't keep living like this," the Evil Queen insisted. "What Snow did to me, what she took from me... it's eating me alive, Daddy. Her very existence mocks me. She must be punished."

"If the price is a hole that will never be filled, why do it?" the valet persisted. "Stop worrying about Snow White and start over. We can have a new life."

"But what kind of life? All I've worked for, all I've built will be gone," the Evil Queen protested. "My power will disappear. They already think I'm nothing."

"Power is seductive," the valet said. "But so is love. You can have that again."

Feeling helpless, the Evil Queen lowered her head to her father's shoulder and allowed him to hug her. "I just want to be happy," she said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You can be," her father promised. "Of this I'm sure. I believe if given the chance, we can find happiness together. But the choice is yours."

"I think you're right," the Evil Queen said, pulling back and smiling at her father. "I can be happy. Just not here."

Her father's face adorned a picture of surprise as his daughter plunged her hand into his chest, and ripped out his still beating heart.

"I'm sorry," the Evil Queen whispered, tearfully, as she looked down at her father's now dead body.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Unable to fathom what Henry had told her, Tabitha headed for Granny's diner to wait for Emma. It was nearing 7:30pm, and she knew that the blonde would be there soon. They had much to talk about, and Tabitha had a feeling that Emma would want to either explain what was happening with Henry, or apologize, either way, Tabitha needed to be there first.

"Hey, Ruby," Tabitha greeted as she leaned over the bar. "Can I get two hot chocolates, please? One with cinnamon, one with chocolate? Thanks."

The waitress, Ruby, nodded and smiled as Tabitha walked over a booth and sat down.

Tabitha didn't have to wait long, and had only just shrugged out of her jacket, when Emma sat down opposite her.

"Before you start shouting," Emma said, quickly. "I just want to say that I am terribly sorry, and I didn't mean anything."

"Before I start shouting," Tabitha replied. "Maybe you can explain to me what in the hell happened? One minute Henry is his usual happy-go-lucky self, and the next he's diving back into the car, tears streaming down his face. It took me close to an hour to calm him down."

"Do you want the long version or the short?" Emma asked. "Because I still have to find Henry."

"Well, he's in therapy now," Tabitha said. "He won't be out until eight. Why don't you give me the down low, and then we'll work around Henry?"

"Regina," Emma said.

"Ah," Tabitha said in understanding. She should've guessed that the Mayor had got to Emma again. "What did she do this time?"

Emma sighed and smiled as Ruby put a cup of hot chocolate down in front of her.

"I hope you don't mind," Tabitha said. "I thought maybe you could use the pick-me-up."

"You have no idea how right you are," Emma said. "Oh, that reminds me, before we go any further. I have that bail money I owe you."

"Oh, don't worry about that," said Tabitha. "I didn't expect a payback."

Emma shook her head. "No, no, I couldn't ask you to do that," she said. "The bail was a little steep. Besides, i'm a total stranger. I'm thankful you bailed me out, but i'm still a stranger. Here..." she handed Tabitha an envelope of cash.

"Thank you," Tabitha said, taking the envelope and sliding it into her pocket. "So, do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Thank you for everything," Emma said. "But I'm leaving."

Tabitha blinked. "Wait, what?" she asked, unsure she had heard Emma right.

"I think it's for the best," Emma sighed. "If I stay, Henry's only gonna keep getting hurt."

"And what happens if you go?" Tabitha asked.

"He'll have you," Emma said. "He doesn't need me. He just thinks he does."

"Having a surrogate mother is nothing compared to having the real one," Tabitha argued. "Honestly, Emma, I think the very fact that you want to leave is why you have to stay. I'm not going to ask you who will protect Henry if you won't, because we both know that I won't let anything - or one - hurt him, but Henry needs you, and you need him."

Emma sighed. "But, Regina -" she started.

"Screw Regina," Tabitha said. "I don't care what she wants, or what she thinks, all I care about is what is right for Henry."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Tabitha and Emma left Granny's diner and hurried across the street, they had been discussing a plan to regain Henry's trust in Emma, and Tabitha had sat and watched the blonde read the storybook pages she had given her earlier that morning, after that they agreed that seeing Henry while he was still with Archie was the best possible move they could make.

Henry sat on Archie's couch, holding on to the black umbrella that the shrink always had with him, a permanent frown on his face.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Archie asked, trying to get the ten-year-old to open up about what was bothering him. He knew that he couldn't force Henry to speak, but it was always good to get things off your chest. "You know that umbrella is like my good luck charm. Is that why you think i'm Jiminy Cricket?"

"I don't think you're anyone," Henry answered, putting the umbrella down.

Suddenly the door burst open, and Emma, followed by Tabitha, waltzed inside.

"Miss Swann, I can explain," Archie said, jumping to his feet instantly. "The Mayor forced me to..."

Tabitha touched his shoulder and nodded. "Yeah, we know, Archie," she said, reassuringly. "Emma's let it go, haven't you?"

"Yeah. I get it," Emma nodded, walking around the couch and kneeling down in front of her son. "Henry, I need to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you," Henry said, looking away from her.

Emma sighed and looked up at Tabitha.

The brunette smiled, encouragingly, and leaned over the back of the couch. "Hey," she whispered, nudging Henry. "She's trying to apologize. Just hear her out, OK?"

"Tabs," Archie said. "If Regina knew about this -"

"She'd what?" Tabitha asked. "Blow a casket? Oh, I'm counting on that one, Archie."

"Henry, there's one simple reason I stayed here," Emma said. "You. I wanted to get to know you."

"You think I'm crazy," Henry said.

"No, I don't think you're crazy. I think this town is crazy, and this curse is crazy, but that doesn't mean I think you're crazy," Emma admitted. "It is a lot to ask anyone to believe in. But there are a lot of crazy things in this world. So what do I know? Maybe it is true."

"But you told my mom..." Henry started.

"What she needed to hear," Emma interrupted. "What I do know, is that if the curse is real, the only way to break it is by tricking the Evil Queen into thinking that we are nonbelievers. 'Cause that way, she's not on to us. Isn't that what Operation Cobra was all about? Throwing her off the trail?"

Henry looked skeptical at the start of the speech, but his posture as Emma went on started to change.

"Brilliant," he grinned, looking up at Tabitha. She smiled and winked at him.

Encouraged, Emma held up the pages that Tabitha had given her. "I read the pages. And Henry, you were right - they are dangerous. And there's only one way to keep her from knowing my story," she walked over to the fire and cast the papers in. "She can't ever read it," she said, turning back to Henry, as he watched the pages burn.

"Hey," said Tabitha, nudging Henry. "Now we have the advantage."

As Tabitha assured Henry, Emma looked to Archie, she expected to see an admonishing look on his face, but was met by a look of pleasure. He smiled and nodded at her.

"I knew you were here to help me!" Henry cried, jumping up from the couch and throwing his arms around Emma.

She stumbled, surprised by the action, but wrapped her arms around him nonetheless.

"That's right, kid," Emma said. "That is why I'm here. Not even a curse can stop that."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Mr. Gold, Storybrooke's pawn shop owner, quirked a small smile as he watched Regina clean up the half-a-destroyed apple tree in her back garden. "What a mess," he said, making his presence known.

"Not for long," Regina answered, blowing away flecks of wood from the branch Emma had cut down. "What can I do for you, Mr. Gold?"

"I was just in the neighborhood, thought I'd pop by," Mr. Gold answered, walking around the mayor and stopping at her tree. He admired one of the apples and then plucked it from the branch. "Lovely to see you in such high spirits."

Regina laughed. "Well, it's been a good day," she said. "I just rid the town of an unwanted nuisance."

"Emma Swan?" Mr. Gold asked. "Really?"

"Yes. I imagine she's halfway to Boston by now."

"I wouldn't bet on that," Mr. Gold scoffed. "I just saw her strolling down the main street with Tabitha and your boy. Thick as thieves they looked."

"What?" Regina asked, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"Perhaps you should've come to me," Mr. Gold said, rolling the apple around in his hand. "Remember the last time you had a problem and you couldn't fix it?"

"I fixed that problem!" Regina snapped.

"Yeah, you did," Mr. Gold nodded. "By hiring her, and look where that's got you. If Miss Swan is going to be another Tabitha, Mayor, I'm only too happy to help you get rid of her. For a price, of course."

"I'm not in the business of making deals with you anymore," Regina said, turning her back on him.

"To which deal are you referring?" Mr. Gold asked.

"You know what deal," Regina said, turning back to look at him.

"Oh, right, yeah," Mr. Gold chuckled. "The boy I procured for you. Henry. Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was? However did you pick it?"

Desperate to change the subject, Regina turned away from the tree, and glared furiously at Gold. "Did you want her to come to town? Did you help Tabitha bring her here?" she demanded. "You wanted all this to happen, didn't you? Your finding Henry wasn't an accident, was it?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Mr. Gold asked.

"Where did you get him?" Regina asked. "Do you know something?"

"I have no idea what you're implying," Gold said, his voice steady.

"I think you do."

Mr. Gold smirked.

"Who is this woman? His mother. This Emma Swan." Regina said, growing furious by Gold's lack of cooperation.

"I would say you know exactly who she is," Gold replied, vaguely. "Now, I really must be going."

He turned to leave, but Regina stopped him.

"Tell me what you know about her," she ordered.

"I'm not going to answer you, dear," Gold said, patiently. "So I suggest you excuse me. Please."

Regina's eyes widened, and she took a step back, away from Gold. He smirked at her, bit into the apple in his hand, and then walked towards the exit, tossing the half eaten fruit over his shoulder before he disappeared from view.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

The Evil Queen stood in front of the flaming pit. The fire burned hot, she could feel it against her skin as it reached towards the dark sky. In her hands she held a carefully crafted wooden box, and inside was the heart of the thing she loved most - her father.

Kneeling down, the Evil Queen removed the heart and tossed it into the flames. There was a heavy pause as black smoke billowed into the air, green and purple lightning crackled from within as the smoke spiraled outwards, covering everything within its reach and sending it forth to a world without Magic.

The Queen smiled at her handiwork, and then walked the short distance towards a grave stone. She knelt in front of it and placed a single black rose on the ground.

"I love you, Daddy," she said, staring at the name etched onto its face.

_Henry_.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**A/N: **I would've loved it if the show had ended with showing Regina/Evil Queen enacting the curse and then kneeling in front of her father's grave and showing his name. It would've been the icing on the cake, and revealed the answer to Gold's question of "How ever did you pick it?" very nicely. - Oh, and yes, this is the end of episode 2, episode 3 will kick off next chapter and we meet a new OC.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Wednesday, November 06, 2013 at 10:55pm**


	9. Chapter 9: A Twist in the Tale

**Author's Note:** Who is ready to meet Ella Nixon - Tabitha's mother - in both Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest? And, there is a mention of a future character from OUAT in this chapter, he/she has a relation to Tabitha, can you spot him/her? Winner gets a sneak peak of the next chapter. Obviously Guest reviewers can't receive the sneak peak, but you're more than welcome to take part in the game.

**Dedications: **N/A

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Once Upon a Time. It is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and is aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

It was on the high road beyond Midas's castle, about a year before their wedding, where Prince Charming and Snow White first met.

The terms, initially, were not amicable.

Snow White had been living as a fugitive with her one true friend, Ella Bradford when she dropped from the tree onto the carriage escorting Charming and his bride-to-be through the forest. Of course at the time, Snow White didn't know who he was, what their future held, or the curious way he'd arrived at his betrothal - not like Ella did - to her they were only wealthy people down below, their carriage only a target to be ransacked.

Her aim was the same as with the others she'd robbed while on the run; to make some money and escape unscathed. To live to fight again. To avoid the Queen and her soldiers, to find a way to clear her name.

Stretched across a horizontal branch, she watched from above as the carriage trundled up, then stopped. The man - quite arrogantly, she thought - got out, strode down the path, and investigated the fallen tree that had stopped them. The tree was there because Snow and Ella had cut it down the previous evening and placed it in the middle of the road. It was their lure, and it had worked more often than they expected.

"You get the purse," Ella whispered. "I'll grab the horses."

Snow nodded, and started her descent.

"Snow," Ella said, quickly grabbing her friends arm and stopping her. "Brace for impact."

"What -?"

"Let's just say that this guy," Ella said, nodding at the Prince. "He's fast."

Snow smiled and squeezed her friends hand. "I'll be OK," she promised, as she continued her descent. "Meet me at the river."

Ella nodded and scaled down the tree trunk, and made her way towards a black stallion which belonged to one of the guards. She grabbed the reigns, brushing her hand across the flank of the steed to calm it, and then clambered up into the saddle. She glanced over her shoulder as she turned the horse towards the road, and smiled as the carriage bobbed lightly as Snow landed on the top of it.

Thirty seconds later, the woman inside the carriage was screaming.

"Ella, go!" Snow shouted, reaching another of the guards horses. She pulled herself up onto the saddle, as Ella kicked her horse in the hind legs, and sped off down the path. Snow followed at a stretch. She had become rather equipped at stealing from carriages, she did it now without so much as batting an eyelid, but it did help to have a best friend who could see the future, and who was able to warn her of any unforeseen dangers that may of occurred during the raid.

Upon hearing a cry from behind, Snow turned to look over her shoulder and saw the arrogant Prince in pursuit.

She rolled her eyes.

_**They always think they can catch me**_, she thought.

The man, however, surprised Snow with his riding ability; when she looked over her shoulder again, he was only two-horse-lengths away. She kicked her stallion once more, but it was too late - she felt the man's heavy arms on her shoulders, as the two of them careened off of their horses and crashed into the ground.

Snow, remembering Ella's words from before the raid, made herself compact for the impact, but she heard the man grunt and knew he'd lost his breath. When they had stopped rolling, he was on top of her, but his breath was ragged. He squinted at her face, and Snow assumed he was only now figuring out that she was a woman. She disdained the surprise in his eyes.

"You're a..." he trailed off, unable to comprehend the possibility of the situation. "A girl."

"Woman," Snow corrected him, grabbing a rock from the floor and smashing it into his face.

He fell back, stunned.

"Snow," Ella called, galloping back. She had made it as far was the crossroad, between the village and the Troll Bridge, when she had noticed her friend wasn't present. Reaching out a hand, Ella pulled Snow onto the back of her black stallion and the two galloped away as the Prince got back to his feet.

He watched them flee, before shouting out after them, his voice carrying on the wind.

"I will find you! I will always find you!"

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Elizabeth Haven, better known as Ellie, rolled her eyes from behind her book as she listened to the conversation between Dr. Whale and her best friend, and roommate, Mary Margaret Blanchard. This was the couple's first date, and Ellie had only come along to make sure that Mary Margaret wasn't uncomfortable, or that Dr. Whale didn't make a play for her - he had quite the reputation when it came to women.

"Um, where were we?" Dr. Whale asked, drawing his eyes away from Ruby, and back to Mary Margaret. "Something about you wanting fifteen kids?"

"Oh, good Lord, no," Mary Margaret gasped. "I meant in my class. Where I teach. You'll meet them tomorrow. They're coming to the hospital as part of the volunteer outreach programme."

"Oh, yeah, that is a great programme," Dr. Whale nodded, distractedly.

"I mean, obviously I don't want fifteen kids of my own," Mary Margaret said, trying to cover up the mistake she had made. "I mean, not that I don't want kids, I do. I want kids, marriage, and true love. I want it all. But that, of course, is..." she trailed off as she noticed that her date was no longer paying her any attention, "wildly inappropriate for me to discuss on a first date."

"Mhm?" Dr. Whale asked looking back at Mary Margaret as Ruby walked past.

Mary Margaret sighed, and called out to the young waitress.

"Yes, Mary Margaret?" Ruby said, obviously bored with her current job.

"Cheque, please."

As Mary Margaret paid for the meal, and left, Elizabeth slid out of her booth, and walked towards Whale, hitting him across the head with her book.

"Hey, what was that for?!" Dr. Whale demanded, jumping to his feet and squaring off against Elizabeth.

"For being a jerk," Ellie answered. "Come near Mary Margaret again, and it'll be more than just a slap," she warned him, turning toe and hurrying after her friend. She caught up with Mary Margaret on the Main Street, and wound her arm through hers. "Well, that could've gone better, eh?"

Mary Margaret sighed. "Who am I kidding?" she asked. "Why would anyone honestly consider dating me?"

"Um, maybe because you're the fairest lady in all of the lands?" Elizabeth teased. "At least according to Henry. Hey, c'mon, don't let this get you down," she added, squeezing her best friends arm. "You've still got me."

"And what happens when you find someone to date?" Mary Margaret asked. "I'll be alone again."

"Not gonna happen," Ellie smiled. "If anyone wants to date me then they have to accept you first. You're my best friend, i'm not gonna abandon you, no guy is worth what I have with you."

Mary Margaret smiled. "Thanks, Ellie," she said.

"Meh, no problem," Ellie replied. "But how are you going to deal with seeing Whale tomorrow? Do you want me to come with you to the hospital? I don't mind."

"Don't you have any lessons tomorrow?"

Ellie shook her head. "How can I give lessons when all my clients are under the age of sixteen, and in school with you?" she asked.

"True," Mary Margaret nodded. "Then, sure, if you're not busy, I could use some help to keep an eye on the kids."

"And avoid Whale," Ellie added.

Mary Margaret give a strained smile, and nodded. "And that," she said.

The two continued to walk arm-in-arm down the street, talking about random things and just generally enjoying one another's company; and only stopped when they heard two other voices on the opposite side of the street. Looking up Mary Margaret spotted Emma Swan and Tabitha Nixon standing in front of Emma's yellow VW Bug, a newspaper grasped between them.

"Who's that?" Ellie asked, pointing at Emma.

"That's the woman I was telling you about," Mary Margaret said. "Henry's birth mother."

"Oh," Ellie said, nodding as she remembered Mary Margaret mentioning something about Henry's birth mother being in town. "Let's go say hello," she asked, tugging her friend towards the young women.

"They seem to be busy," Mary Margaret hesitated.

Ellie smiled. "I know," she said. "We won't stay long; just long enough for me to say that I actually met Henry's birth mother. She seems nice."

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and allowed Ellie to pull her over to Tabitha and Emma. At times it seemed Ellie was younger than she actually was, she was a very bouncy woman, with shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, and a swimmer's build. She was a rather strong swimmer, having been training since she was a young girl.

"... People like things to stay the same around here," Tabitha was saying as Mary Margaret and Ellie approached. She looked up at the sound of their footsteps and smiled. "Hey, what are you two doing out so late?"

"Well, we're teachers, not nuns," Ellie said. "And I was out saving a young damsel in distress," she wrapped her arm around Mary Margaret and squeezed her.

"Saved her?" Emma frowned. "From who?"

"Her sleezeball of a date."

Tabitha and Emma shared a confused expression, and turned expectantly to Mary Margaret, hoping she could clarify Ellie's ramblings.

"She's trying to say that I was on an unsuccessful date," Mary Margaret elaborated.

"Ah," Emma and Tabitha nodded.

"One of those," Emma added. "I know them well. Tell me he at least paid."

Mary Margaret shook her head.

"Yup, see, sleezeball," Ellie said, bobbing her head up and down.

Tabitha cracked a smile, and chuckled lightly. "Well," she said, "No one ever said True Love was easy. If it was, we'd all have it."

"What are you two doing out so late?" Ellie asked, looking between Emma and Tabitha.

"Henry wanted ice cream," Tabitha answered, holding up a brown paper bag full of ice cream and chocolate. "His mother's working late tonight, and I said we'd have some fun, games and treats before she gets home."

"What about you, Emma?" Ellie asked.

Emma held up the newspaper. "Looking for a job," she said. "And a place to rent. There's surprisingly nothing available."

"You're sleeping in your car?" Mary Margaret asked.

"I've done it before," Emma shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Tabitha looked over the bug, and then turned back to Emma. "Well, you already know that I have a place you can use if it gets cramped in there," she said. "I mean, my apartment's pretty vacant at the moment, seeing as I'm spending most of my time at the manor," she dug into the pocket of her jacket and fished out her car keys; she then put her brown paper bag on the floor and carefully removed a small door key from the chain. "Here. It's above the Pharmacy, i'm looking for a new one, but Mr. Clark said that i'm more than welcome to stay there. It's not much, but it's better than a car."

"Thanks," Emma said, but she didn't take the key. "I'm not really the roommate type. It's just not my thing. I do better on my own."

"That's what I thought when I had to share a room with Felix when I was younger," Tabitha answered. "Trust me, he soon moved out when I brought August home."

"August?" Ellie asked.

"My boyfriend - well, _ex_-boyfriend."

"And Felix is - ?" Ellie pushed.

Tabitha smiled at her. "My younger brother," she explained.

"Oh," Ellie said, before smiling again. "Yeah. I can totally see why he moved out," she nodded. "I don't think I'd want to share a room with my sister if she had a boyfriend over."

"You have a sister?" Tabitha asked.

Ellie glanced at Mary Margaret from the corner of her eye. "Only this one," she said. "But when she starts bring the boyfriends home, I'm moving into Granny's."

"Not gonna happen," Mary Margaret sighed.

"OK, I think that's enough fun for one night," Tabitha said, realizing that Mary Margaret looked like she just wanted to get off the street. "Well, I better get going. Henry's probably eaten half-way through the blackberry pie that's in the fridge - I'll kill him if he hasn't left me any. Emma, think about my offer, the key's here if you need it."

Emma nodded and watched as Tabitha crossed the road and climbed into her Lexus.

"That's our cue too," Ellie said. "Goodnight, Emma, it was nice meeting you. Mary Margaret, onwards towards home." She pointed head of her, and started off down the street.

Emma smiled lightly and looked towards Henry's teacher. "Is she always like that?" she asked.

"I think she's swallowed too much chlorine," Mary Margaret said. "But she's right. I should get going. Goodnight, Emma, good luck with Henry."

"Yeah," Emma smiled, and nodded. "Goodnight."

Mary Margaret nodded once and hurried off down the street after Ellie, who was calling her name loudly from the corner.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

The next morning, after being dropped off at the hospital by Tabitha, Henry followed Mary Margaret and his swimming teacher Elizabeth Haven into the adults ward with the rest of his class; they were all carrying pictures that they had drawn in school, and objects that they had created to give the patients.

As the rest of his fellow classmates set about putting up banners, and balloons, Henry spotted a man behind a glass door. He was alone in the room, just lying unconscious in the bed, all hooked up to tubes and machines. Abandoning his presentation, Henry scurried into the room and climbed up onto a chair to stare at the man.

Outside, Elizabeth nudged Mary Margaret and nodded at Henry. "I think we're missing one," she said, walking away to help another student named Paige hang up another banner. Mary Margaret sighed as she walked to the glass door of the room and pushed it open.

"Henry," she called softly. "We could really use your help with the decorations."

"Is Mr. Doe going to be OK, Miss Blanchard?" Henry asked.

"His name is not John Doe, honey," said Mary Margaret. "That's just what they call people when they don't know who they are."

"Do you know who he is?" Henry asked.

"Nope. I just bring him flowers on my rounds."

"What's wrong with him?" Henry asked.

"I don't know," Mary Margaret sighed. "He's been like this as long as I've been volunteering."

"Does he have any friends or family?"

"No one's claimed him."

"So, he's all alone?"

"Yeah," Mary Margaret nodded. "It's quite sad."

Henry nodded and looked down at John Doe; he paused and then looked back at Mary Margaret. "You sure you don't know him?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure," Mary Margaret laughed. "Come on. You shouldn't be in here." She ruffled his hair and led him back out into the ward.

Henry turned to look back at John Doe as he left. He was Prince Charming, he was Snow White's True Love, which meant that this man was Mary Margaret's True Love, he needed to get them together so that Mary Margaret could help wake him up, and that meant he needed Tabitha and Emma.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"I found your father."

Sitting next to Henry on his castle's top platform was Emma and Tabitha. The blonde frowned and glanced at Henry, looking skeptical.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

It was after school. Henry had asked Tabitha to call Elizabeth and tell her that he wouldn't be going to swimming today, and they had gone to meet Emma instead.

"I seriously doubt that, kid," Emma added.

She had tried, once, to find her parents, but she hadn't gotten very far, as the circumstances of her own abandonment as a baby was a tad murky. There was nothing. Zilch. There wasn't a chance in hell this kid knew anything she didn't know.

"No, I did," Henry insisted. "He's here, he's in town," he twisted and picked up his book. Emma glanced at Tabitha quickly, realizing what he meant. "Look," he added, flipping the pages to show a man - a handsome man, strong-jawed, eyes closed, bleeding from the chin - lying in the grass. "It's Prince Charming. After Snow White hits him and gets away."

"Ha," Tabitha chuckled. "Out-witted by a girl. It never ceases to amaze me how men can be described as 'big-and-strong' when they're easily taken down when their hormones take over."

Henry blinked, and then shook his head.

"What kind of twisted version of Snow White are you reading here, kid?" Emma asked, taking the book. She flipped back a few pages and let her eyes wander across the text.

"It's complicated," Henry said, "but the point is that he's here, and he's Miss Blanchard's True Love, and she doesn't even know that he's here. I saw him. In the hospital. He's been in a coma for years."

Emma flipped back to the picture. "This guy?" she said, pointing.

"His name's John Doe," Henry said.

"So they don't know who he is?"

"That's right, but I know," he said. "And now you two know. And we have to get him to wake up so he remembers who Ms. Blanchard is."

Tabitha bit her lower lip. "How are we supposed to do that?" she asked. "I mean, I know the feeling of being in a coma, having been in one myself, and I do know that no one woke me up from mine... I had to wake up myself."

"You were in a coma?" Emma and Henry both asked.

"Only for a short while," Tabitha said. "After the accident. I was hemorrhaging, lost a lot of blood and couldn't sustain staying awake for a long period of time. It was during my coma that I lost my brother."

"I'm sorry," Emma said. She knew all too well how Tabitha felt about her brother's disappearance, having already talked to her about it beforehand.

Tabitha shook her head. "It's OK," she smiled. "It's in the past now, and while the past does hurt, things get better with time. Anyway, how do you propose we wake John Doe up, Henry?"

"We have to get Ms. Blanchard to read this story to him," Henry answered.

"What story is it?" Emma asked.

"The story of them falling in love," Henry said. "It's important."

Emma said nothing, just looked out at the water.

"What?" Henry said. "Don't you think that it is?"

"I do, actually," Emma said. "Believe it or not. I completely do."

Henry smiled his beaming, irresistible smile. "So you'll help?"

"Sure," she said. "But we're doing it my way. Not your way. Not Tabitha's way. My way. Got it?"

Tabitha and Henry exchanged looks, nodded at one another, and then looked back at Emma.

"Got it," they both confirmed.

Emma frowned at them. "You're scary when you do that," she said.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Let me get this straight," Mary Margaret said, eyeing Emma skeptically. "You want me to read to a coma patient?"

"Henry thinks it will help him remember who he was," Emma nodded. She was standing in the kitchen of the apartment that Mary Margaret and Ellie shared together.

"And who does he think he was?" Ellie asked as she came tumbling down the metal staircase, all the while attempting to pull on her leather-furred boots.

Mary Margaret sighed as, with a crash, Ellie tumbled over the second she hit the bottom step, and landed flat on her face in the kitchen.

"I'm OK," Ellie said, pushing herself up and shaking her head.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, putting down her hot chocolate and helping Mary Margaret set Ellie back on her feet, "and to answer your question: Henry thinks John Doe is Prince Charming."

Mary Margaret paused and looked up at the blonde. "And if I'm Snow White," she said, taken back by the answer. "He thinks me and him..."

"Ooh," Ellie giggled. "Henry found your Soul Mate."

"Shut up, Ellie," Mary Margaret said,

Ellie crossed her arms and pouted.

Emma frowned and shook her head, this woman, this Elizabeth Haven, if her memory served was supposed to be Tabitha's mother; yet Tabitha had a stubborn and serious personality, whereas Elizabeth had a lively and energetic personality. It was obvious that Tabitha did not take after her mother.

"Henry has a very active imagination," Emma said, smiling a quick smile. "Which is the point. I can't talk him out of his beliefs, and Tabitha doesn't really help much by encouraging him to believing in this curse, so with her interference, I need help to show him."

"How do you plan to do that?" Ellie asked.

"Play along," Emma answered. "Do what he says, and then maybe, just maybe..."

"He'll see that fairytales are just that," Mary Margaret said, getting the jist of the idea. "That there's no such thing as love at first sight. Or first kiss. He'll see reality."

"Something like that," Emma said.

"Um, question?" Ellie said, biting into a celery stick. "How are you going to explain all this to Tabitha? I thought you said she was encouraging his theories?"

"Tabitha should know better," Emma said.

Ellie bit her lower lip and, in that moment, Emma could see a little bit of Tabitha in her.

"Sadly, this plan is rather genius," Mary Margaret nodded. "We get him to the truth without hurting him."

Emma smiled and reached in to her bag, pulling out Henry's fairytale book. "I told him that we will all meet tomorrow for breakfast at Granny's, and you will give a full report."

"Well," Mary Margaret sighed. "I suppose I'll get ready for my date."

"You'll just have to do all the talking," Ellie teased.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

These four chapters are, hopefully, much longer than the last two. Mostly because I think I have included more original scenes in the writing process. I hope you enjoy.

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, November 09, 2013 at 3:04am**


	10. Chapter 10: Missing

**Author's Note:** Still on episode 3 – Snow Falls. Posting this now as I have Christmas shopping to do tomorrow.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Once Upon a Time_, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

On her way to the hospital, book under her arm, Mary Margaret couldn't help but wonder if she liked John Doe because he was always there, always so consistent, always so reliable. No, he didn't talk back, and no, he had no idea who she was, but he always stayed the same.

It was incredible to her how little life seemed to change in the town. She had been here for so long, but each year, the children seemed to be the same, her mixed feelings about Storybrooke seemed to be the same, and her loneliness - some murky part of herself that simply did not believe that she was meant to be a homebody, to know nearly no one, to spend her nights alone with Ellie, drinking tea - well, it never changed.

She sat herself down beside John Doe's bed, made herself comfortable, and opened the book. She looked at the words, and then looked back at John Doe.

"Look, I know this is odd," she said. "But I'm doing it for a friend. Try to bear with me." She glanced through the broad glass windows and saw Dr. Whale on the far side of the floor, doing his rounds, head stuck in a chart. She looked back at John Doe and raised her eyebrows. "Sorry if it gets boring."

"'_As the prince chased the thieves on horseback through the treacherous forest, his betrothal crossed her arms and pouted, wondering how many dreadful, boring minutes it would take until they could resume their journey again. The thieves vaulted over a fallen juniper...'_"

She read the story Emma had told her to read, and slowly fell into it herself. She read about Snow White and her best friend Ella, no better than a couple of forest bandits; read about Snow's first encounter with the Prince, and the second encounter, and how Ella, despite having foreseen the meeting, despised the blossoming relationship, she read about the smoldering feelings between Snow White and Prince Charming, who had no idea that they had so much in common. Mary Margaret had read a lot of fairytales in her life, but never anything like this.

At one point she paused, looked up, and said, "This doesn't sound like a children's book. What do you think?" To her it seemed suited to both.

She saw the word again: 'Bandit.'

Someone on the run, someone who broke rules, someone who lived bravely, lived in a way that didn't fit into societal norms. She was most definitely not a bandit, no. She was good, careful, kind, cautious, and law-abiding. She didn't make trouble. She wasn't like Emma Swan, Tabitha Nixon or even Ellie. She wanted to be, but she didn't know how.

_**I may not be a bandit**_, she thought. _**But I have a bandit's heart**_.

She was still caught up in the emotion of the story at the very end, when her eyes moved toward the final paragraph, her curiosity piqued by the tale. Prince Charming and Snow White were coming together, even though they'd been fighting all along. She read: "'_and stared into each other's eyes; they didn't need words to express what they felt in their hearts. For it was here, in the shadow of the Troll Bridge, no matter how they were separated, they would always fin -'"_

Mary Margaret stopped, her voice stuck in her throat.

Impossible.

But she had felt it.

Slowly, knowing what she would see, she let her eyes move from the book to her left hand, resting on its edge. Her heart already beating fast began to pound.

John Doe's hand was on her hand.

Not just on her hand. Squeezing it.

She stood, covered her mouth, shook his hand from hers and, after one glance at his still-closed eyes, she went to find Dr. Whale.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Snow White took one last glance at her belongings, knowing that she'd probably forgotten something important but too harried to worry about it now. The tree-trunk she and Ella had been using as a home was not far from where they'd robbed the arrogant (handsome) fool and knocked him over with the rock, and now felt like it might be prudent to vacate the area. But there was something about that man.

"Are you coming?" Ella asked, appearing at the entrance to the tree. "If we're going, we need to go now."

"Did you see something?" Snow asked, urgently.

Ella shook her head. "No, but just because I haven't seen anything," she said. "Doesn't mean there is nothing there."

"OK," Snow nodded. "I'm coming."

Ella nodded and withdrew, leaving Snow to look around at the vacant home. There were a few possessions that she and Ella had to leave behind, having been too big for them to carry, but the smaller items they were able to fill their pockets and sacks with, and take with them. Not everything they had was essential, but it was needed in order for them to survive.

Snow looked down at her most precious belonging; a tiny crystal vial containing a minuscule amount of very potent fairy dust. She and Ella had learned how to fight and use weapons in the last few months, but this was a weapon of a higher order. Magic. With this dust, she had the ability to best even the most dangerous of enemies. Her plan, of course, was to use the dust against the Evil Queen.

"SNOW!" Ella's voice screamed outside.

Snow jumped and made for the exit. There was only one reason why her friend was calling for her, and that was if she was in trouble. She took one step outside of their old home, and stopped as she noticed the ground beneath her feet was moving.

Moving up, actually. A net, covered in leaves. Before she could even react, she was hanging twenty feet off the ground, bundled up, and trapped.

"Ah. Hello there," came a voice - a voice she recognized - and a grim expression came across her brow.

It was him, the arrogant man. There he was, hands on Ella's hips, as he held her firmly in place, and he looked very proud of himself.

"I told you I would find you."

"Let her go," said Snow White, reaching for her dagger. She drew it and was about to start cutting.

"Snow, don't," Ella begged.

"I'd listen to her," the Prince said. "It is quite a fall. You're bound to break your neck. I will lower you down very gently."

They stared at each other.

"For a price," he added.

"And this is the only way you can catch a woman? By trapping her in a net?"

"It's my preferred method of catching thieves, actually," he said. "I have various methods of catching women."

"Well, aren't you a real Prince Charming?" Snow White said.

He grinned at this, and Ella had to keep herself from gagging at the flirting. She had foreseen this meeting, obviously being a Seer, but that didn't mean she appreciated being stuck in the middle of it all. She always hated being the Third Wheel.

"I do have a real name," Prince 'Charming' said.

"I don't care," Snow White answered. "You're Charming. Cut me down, Charming."

He stopped smiling. "I will. As soon as you return the leather pouch you stole with my jewels."

"Not the jewellery type," Snow answered, shaking her head.

"I noticed."

Ella frowned and tried to look at Charming over her shoulder. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. "Are you trying to be insulting?"

"Quite right. My apologies," Charming nodded. "How dare I cast aspersions at the people who robbed me? Where are my jewels?"

"They're long gone," Snow answered.

"Then we'll have to recover it. I imagine it hasn't gotten too far away."

"Why do you care? Don't you have a palace full of treasures somewhere?" Ella asked, struggling for release.

"These were special."

"What was so _special_ that you had to track us down?" Ella asked.

"Among the jewels was a ring that belonged to my mother," Charming answered. "A ring I was about to give to...

"Oh, of course," Snow laughed. "That nag with the bad attitude. That's what this is about?"

"She's my fiancée," Charming insisted.

Ella sniggered as her visions changed abruptly in her mind's eye. "Good luck with that," she said.

"You must be getting something impressive to have agreed to that union," Snow said.

"Excuse me?" Charming demanded.

"I know how this works," Snow said. "True Love? It doesn't exist. It's all arranged marriages and business transactions. There's no such thing as love at first sight. Or first kiss. Let me guess; her kingdom wants to take over yours. And this is, what, a last ditch effort to avoid war?"

"You're incredibly rude for someone trapped in a net," said Charming. "And whose friend could find herself spending the rest of her life locked in my castle's dungeon, are you aware of that?"

Ella smirked and shook her head. "Oh, I don't see that happening," she said. "You see, I know when something is going to happen, and the only thing I see in my future is getting as far away from you as possible. In fact, I don't see you in either of our lives after this meeting."

"What are you?" Charming asked. "Some kind of Seer?"

"Something like that," Ella answered.

"Whatever and I'll have you know that my marriage to Abigail is not a takeover," Charming said, becoming defensive. "It's a merger. And quite frankly, it's none of your business. Now this is what's going to happen. I'm going to cut you down, and you will take me to whoever has my jewels, and then you're going to get my ring back."

"Why would we help you?" Snow asked. "What will you do? Torture me and lock up Ella, if we don't?"

"I'll lock up Ella," Charming nodded. "As for the torture? Oh no, I won't, but someone else probably will."

Snow studied him through the holes in the net.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I know you're Snow White," he said, "and I know if you don't lead me to these jewels, I'll turn you over to the Queen's men." He pulled a wanted poster from within his vest and held it up. The likeness was uncanny. Snow doubted it would make much sense to protest. "It's your choice. Help me or I turn you in. I have a feeling the Queen's not as charming as I am."

Snow swallowed and caught Ella's gaze; the lost look in her friend's eye was enough for the former princess to reconsider her offer to help the Prince. Ella's visions had obviously changed, or she wouldn't have looked too distant as she did now.

"Fine," Snow agreed. "I wouldn't want to stand in the way of your getting true love. Leave Ella be, and let me down."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Emma sat with Henry at Granny's diner. Tabitha who, despite being Henry's nanny, worked part-time with Graham at the Sheriff's station, and had been called away to an emergency, leaving the two to wait for Mary Margaret to arrive and tell them about reading the story to John Doe the night before.

"Where does your mother think you are?" Emma asked, sipping her hot chocolate.

"Playing Whack-A-Mole," Henry answered, finishing his bacon roll.

"And she brought that?" Emma asked, sounding surprised.

"She wants to believe it," Henry said. "So she does."

"Does she know that Tabitha's not with you?"

Henry nodded. "Graham's call came in while we were still at the house," he answered. "As far as my mother is concerned Tabitha dropped me off at the arcade and then headed over to the station."

The bell above the door dinged, and Henry looked up to see it was Mary Margaret enter. "She's here," he said, excitedly.

"Hey, I don't want you to get your hopes up," Emma said. "We're just getting started, OK?"

"He woke up," Mary Margaret said as soon as she sat down, she was literally bouncing with excitement as she said it, and was grinning from ear-to-ear.

Emma didn't even want to guess what kind of smile was on Henry's face. This was not part of the plan. "Excuse me?" she said.

"I mean, he didn't wake up-wake up. But he grabbed my hand. Right at the end of the story."

"He's remembering," Henry said.

"What did the doctor say?" Emma asked.

"That I imagined it," Mary Margaret answered. "But I'm not crazy, I know it happened."

"We have to go back," Henry said. "You have to read to him again."

Mary Margaret looked considerate, before grabbing Henry's arm and nodding. "Let's go," she said, dragging him from the booth and out the door.

"Wait, wait... what?" Emma stammered, chasing after them. She stopped them at the gate.

"If I got through to him," Mary Margaret said, sounding more like Henry now than Emma cared to consider. "We made - there was some kind of connection."

"Not the kind that has to do with Snow White and Prince Chamings, though?"

"No, no," Mary Margaret said. "No. Just a connection."

"Well then I guess we better go see for ourselves," she said,

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Tabitha met them at the door; hands up in a way that made Emma think something more had happened. "What is it?" she said, stopping short.

"It's nothing for you to be concerned with," Tabitha said, looking over her shoulder. "I assuming you're here because of what happened last night? Between John Doe and Mary Margaret?"

"What's wrong?" Mary Margaret asked. "Is he OK?"

"It's not that he's not OK," Tabitha said, turning and leading them onto the floor. "It's that he's gone."

"Gone?" Emma asked. "How is that possible?"

"We're not exactly sure," Tabitha said, looking to Dr. Whale as he approached them with Graham. He was shaking his head, and studying a chart.

"It's not possible," Dr. Whale was saying to Graham. "Scientifically, at least," he added.

"And yet he's not here," Emma said. "Did someone take him?"

"I don't know," Dr. Whale went silent, looking over their shoulders.

Tabitha heard the clicking of heels and tensed as she turned in time to see Regina stalking toward them. She grabbed Henry's shoulders and pulled him to her, as Regina became level with them all.

"What are they doing here?" Regina demanded. "What kind of operation are you running here, Sheriff? Is this or is this not a crime scene?"

"What did you do?" Henry asked.

Regina's face softened just a bit as she looked down at him, bent, and touched him on the shoulder. "Nothing, Henry, I'm here to find out what happened to him."

"Why would the Mayor get involved with a missing person?" Emma asked

Regina straightened up. "Because i'm his emergency contact."

"You know him?" Mary Margaret asked. "How?"

"I don't know him, I found him." Regina said. "Years ago on the side of the road."

"Mayor Mills saved his life," Dr. Whale confirmed.

"But hold on," Mary Margaret said. "If he's out there, somewhere, wherever he is, can he - You can't just wake up from a coma and be OK, can you?"

She looked to Dr. Whale for an answer, but it was Tabitha who provided one.

"No," said the young brunette, shaking her head. "You don't just wake up from a coma, and decide to take a stroll. When you first wake up you're very disorientated, and panicked. So no, he's not OK. If he's not back here, and soon, the chances of him surviving are slim."

"Well then let's quit yapping' and start looking," Emma said, shrugging on her jacket.

"That's what we're doing," Regina interrupted. "Just stay out of this, dear, and since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I guess i'm just going to have to keep my son away from you." She took Henry by the hand, and led him away down the corridor. "This isn't a place for him anyway."

Protesting with his eyes, Henry looked at Emma knowingly before being dragged away. She knew what was in his head. Go find him, he was saying to her.

"Doctor, how long between your rounds since you last saw him?" Graham asked.

"Twelve hours or so," Dr. Whale answered.

"Twelve hours?" Tabitha repeated. "And no one saw him get up and leave?"

Dr. Whale nodded.

Tabitha shook her head. "I find that hard to believe," she said. "Is there any way out of this ward without going through the main doors?"

"There's that door there," said Dr. Whale, pointing to a door behind them. "But it's locked from the inside, and we would've caught him on video if he'd come out here," he pointed to the CCTV camera in the corner of the room.

Tabitha looked at Graham, and then back at Whale. "We need to your security footage for the last twelve hours," she said.

"Sure," Dr. Whale nodded.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"You two were the only employees on the floor last night," Graham said to Leroy and his co-worker, Walter. "And you saw nothing?"

"Not a thing," Walter answered, trying to cover a yawn.

"Did anyone walk by?" Tabitha asked.

"I didn't see anything," Leroy shrugged.

"Miss Blanchard, was there anything unusual you saw during your trip with your class?"

"Other than Ellie jumping around and singing at the top of her voice," Mary Margaret said, shaking her head. "No."

"Wait a minute," said Emma, striding towards the monitors. "We're looking at the wrong tape. This is the ward where Henry's class put up decorations. If this was really the tape from last night, we'd see the banners the kids hung."

Leroy scoffed and pointed at Walker. "You fell asleep again," he said.

"You selling me out?" Walker asked, defensively.

"I ain't getting fired for this."

"Least I don't drink on the job!"

"OK, guys, hey!" Tabitha whistled, breaking up the fighting. "Where's the tape from last night?"

Walker rewound the tape back twelve hours, and hit play. The group watched it carefully, studying every minute of every second until John Doe appeared on the screens.

"Freeze," Emma said, hitting pause.

"He walked out alone," Mary Margaret sighed in relief. "He's OK."

"Four hours ago," Emma said, pointing at the time stamp. "Where does this door lead?"

"The woods," Leroy answered.

Tabitha sighed and covered her mouth with her hand, whilst Emma and Mary Margaret exchanged nervous glances.

"Tabs, we need all available units on this," Graham said.

"Yeah, I'll go make the call," Tabitha said, heading for the door. "I want to check on Henry too, so, I'll meet you in the woods."

Graham nodded, and held the door as she left.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

_**Reviews are welcome. Please review.**_

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Saturday, 09 November, 2013 at 07:18pm**


	11. Chapter 11: Unforeseen Circumstances

**Author's Note:** My Reading Week ends tomorrow, which means all updates go back to Saturday/Sundays. Hope you enjoy this update.

**Dedications: **Big thank you to the following:** Bronzelove, Waterpixie131, ****Secretballetdancer **and** SeleneAlice.**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Once Upon a Time_, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

She had agreed to lead the Prince to where she'd sold the jewels, but that didn't mean she had agreed that Ella would have to be a part of the recovery team.

"Ella, go, please," Snow pleaded. "Meet me at the north end of the Troll Bridge. I'll get what he needs, and we'll go our separate ways."

"No, Snow, we're in this together," Ella said. "Besides, you could use a Seer on your side in case things go south."

"I don't want you getting hurt."

Ella shook her head. "And i'm supposed to walk away and leave you with some stalker?" she asked. "Not gonna happen. Together forever, remember? You avoid the Queen using my visions; it's the only way you're gonna be two steps ahead of anyone, including Charming."

Snow White sighed and glanced over at the Prince, he trusted them enough to not run off because, as he said in his own words, he would always find them. But there was no point in running, especially when the deal was to retrieve the Jewels or be handed over to the Queen.

"OK. Just promise me it'll be smooth sailing," Snow sighed.

"I'm a Seer," Ella said. "You know that my visions aren't always 100%."

"Can't they be just this once?"

"You know that isn't how it works."

Snow sighed.

"Are you two finished with your little meeting?" Charming called. "The sooner we get my jewels, the sooner you can go back to you little lives."

"And you can return to Abigail?" Ella asked. "Don't worry, Charming, we've finished." She turned to Snow and held out her arm.

Reluctantly, Snow took it and the two started walking.

"Oh, and keep an eye on your dust," Ella whispered to Snow, making sure that Charming couldn't hear them.

Snow grabbed her charm that hung around her neck, and glanced subtly over her shoulder at Charming.

For three hours they walked and said little to each other, not even Snow and Ella spoke a word to one another, and all the way, Snow White fumed. Behind the two women, Charming strolled casually; there was something about his swagger that Snow detested.

Near noon he called for a rest, and the two women leaned against a tree. Snow looking west, as Ella slid to sit at the base of the tree.

"What's that?" Charming asked.

Snow realized that she was toying with the charm around her neck. "It's none of your concern," she said, remembering Ella's words. She kept her hand around the charm, and glared at Charming as he made a snatch for it.

"It looks like dust," Charming said, noticing the grains of black inside the glass heart.

"It is so much more than that," Ella said. "It's a powerful weapon."

"A weapon?" Charming asked.

"Yes. Fairy dust," Snow answered. "It transforms any enemy into something easily squashable."

The Prince, amused, raised an eyebrow and studied the small glass vial. "Is that so? And why haven't you used it on me, then?"

"I'm saving it for someone who matters," said Snow White.

"Like the Queen?"

"It's none of your business."

"Maybe not," said Charming. "But tell me, what exactly did you do to her to incur that wrath? It's quite impressive."

Ella and Snow exchanged looks.

"She hates herself," Snow answered, "and so she hates everyone else, too, especially me apparently. I've done nothing to her."

The Prince studied her, and she looked back, aware of the fire in her own eyes and doing nothing to hide it.

He shrugged. "OK then," he said. "Teach me to pry. Shall we continue?"

"What?" Snow asked. "You're not going to demand that I hand it over?" He wasn't playing by the rules of master and prisoner.

"Why would I do that?" Charming asked. "It sounds like you'll be needing it."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

A little further down the line, Snow, Charming and Ella came across a fast moving river. Ella stopped and nodded towards the water. "I'm thirsty," she said. "May I?"

"Make it quick," Charming said, nodding.

"Of course," Ella said. "I wouldn't want to keep you from your pet for much longer."

"I told you, her name is Abigail," Charming sighed.

"Nah, she's a pet," Ella said. "All your royals are."

She crunched her away to the water's edge, and knelt down, scooping up a handful of the clear liquid and raising it to her mouth. She did this two more times, before turning to the prince.

"You shouldn't really follow a Seer," she said.

"What?" Charming asked, before he was knocked into the water by a powerful blow to the back of the head.

Ella stood and watched as the Prince was swept away with the current, and then turned to Snow and took her hand. "The Queen's men are on the road behind us," she said. "We'll have to come up behind them, in order to get away."

Snow nodded, and grabbed her pouch from the sack. They didn't really need most of the possessions that were inside, what they really needed was the pouch; it held all the money they had collected over the last few months.

"Quickly now," Ella said, pulling her towards the trees. "Before Charming finds a way out of the calmer waters, or the soldiers come down to drink."

"OK," said Snow, following her friend away from the raging river.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Tabitha and Henry stalked the woods for hours in hopes of finding the lost man, both of them swinging a beam of a flashlight back and forth across the trunks of trees and the thick, prickly bushes. Tabitha was proving to be a good tracker, she had managed to follow a single set of footprints, but she wasn't completely sure if they were John Doe's or another search parties.

There were so many people in the woods this evening searching for John Doe that it was impossible to know whose footprints were whose.

"Do you think now's a good time to call Emma?" Henry asked.

"I tried, Kid," said Tabitha. "No signal. Come on, we're bound to run into someone sooner or later. You're not scared are you?"

"Scared?" Henry asked. "No."

Tabitha grinned and ruffled his hair. "Stick close, OK?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"Got it," Henry nodded, taking her hand. The two spiraled out from where they had started, and reached a small path leading down towards the river. They halted their search as they heard voices coming from beneath them.

"What is it?"

"The trail runs out here."

Tabitha sighed and turned to Henry, she recognized that heavily accent anywhere. "Graham," she called down into the ravine. "Graham, that you?"

"Tabs?" Graham called back. There was a split second pause, one filled with rustling, and next second Graham appeared looking up at her. "And Henry - what's he doing here?"

"I couldn't leave him at the house alone," Tabitha said.

"Where's Regina?"

Tabitha shrugged. "Dunno, she wasn't there when I went to check on Henry," she said. "Besides, he wants to help."

"This is a crime scene, Tabs," Graham sighed.

"I'm aware of that," Tabitha nodded, reaching out to take Graham's hand as she and Henry climbed down to his level. "Thanks," she added as he steadied her, and then turned to help Henry. "But Emma and Mary Margaret aren't exactly qualified for being out here, either."

"Touché," Graham nodded. "But Regina's gonna kill you when she finds out."

Tabitha shrugged and took Henry by the hand again. "He might have an idea as to where John Doe is going, anyway," she said. "I figured that we could use a tip."

"We don't need a tip," Graham said, leading her back to where he had left Emma and Mary Margaret. "We need a clue."

"How about you just take a leap of faith?"

"Henry?" Emma gasped as Graham, Tabitha and Henry returned. "What are you doing here? You're mom's gonna kill me, and then you, and then me again."

"I can help," Henry protested. "I already told Tabs. I know where he's going."

"You do?" Mary Margaret asked. "How? Where?"

"He's looking for you," Henry told her. "And I know because you're the one who woke him up. You're the last person he saw. He wants to find you."

Mary Margaret sighed. "Henry, it's not about me," she said. "I just... I think he's lost and confused. He's been in a coma a long time."

"But he loves you! You need to stop chasing him and let him find you."

"Tabs, you need to take him home," Emma said. "He doesn't belong out here."

"No!" Henry shouted, before Tabitha had a chance to say anything.

"Tabs?" Graham called from a little further down the trail. "I think I've found our clue."

Tabitha frowned and rushed off to see what Graham meant. "Henry, stick close to Emma," she called over her shoulder. "What did you fi - Oh no..." she murmured, shining her torch on the leaf of one of the trees. Resting on the top, smeared in a red substance was a hospital name tag with the words:

_John Doe._

_DOB: Unknown._

_67140404_

"Is that?" Mary Margaret asked, arriving with Emma and Henry, and spotting the name tag.

"Blood," Tabitha confirmed, wrapping an arm around Henry and pulling her too him.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

"Do you think we'll be able to grab two horses?" Snow whispered, watching as the three guards trotted past.

Ella shook her head. "No, my vision shows us walking," she said. "Sadly your Prince is back..."

"What?" Snow asked, her high-pitched voice startling the horses and causing the guards to look around. The two friends pressed themselves against the ground, and prayed that they hadn't been found.

"Check the area," one of the guards ordered.

"Damn it," Ella muttered, looking around her. "Come on," she said, edging back down the ravine. "We need to get lower, and make a break for it."

Snow followed her back down. "What do you mean 'my Prince'?" she asked.

"Charming," Ella said. "I see him again."

"I thought you said we wouldn't see him after this little venture?"

"Our 'venture' isn't over yet," Ella answered. "We still haven't reached the Troll Bridge."

"But getting rid of him meant that we wouldn't have to go there,"

"Snow," said Ella. "I see just about everyone's future, and he's a constant in yours, but first we have to make it to the Troll Bridge, and he is there."

"But I don't want him in my future," said Snow.

Ella sighed. "I don't make up the rules, Snow," she said. "I just follow the vision vines to whatever future I see, and I do see you and Charming together... unfortunately you've got a lot of ups and downs to avoid along the way."

"Abigail being one of them?"

"Maybe."

"Can't you just tell me my complete future?"

Ella shook her head. "Sorry, Snow, I would if I could," she said. "But the future is like a jigsaw right now, everything keeps changing. But, eventually, I will see your happy ending."

"That makes me feel loads better," Snow murmured.

The two walked a bit further into the forest, before stopping short as the trees rustled a few feet ahead. Fearing it was the Queen's forces, the pair prepared to run back, but instead of the guards, Prince Charming jumped out in their path.

He was dripping wet, and didn't look very pleased.

"You two are working my last good nerve," he said. "Now, take me to my jewels."

Snow glanced at Ella, who shrugged.

"I did say he'd be back," Ella said.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

An hour more into their walk, Snow and Ella slowed their paces, and then stopped the Prince in his tracks.

"OK," said Snow, peering toward the bridge. "We're here. We gotta be careful."

"Careful of trolls?" Charming asked. "Are you joking?"

"Have you ever met a troll?" Ella asked.

The Prince looked back at her.

"Just follow our lead," Snow told him, "and be careful."

Ella glanced at Snow and then crept forward, out of the trees and onto the old stone bridge. She hated trolls, she was never able to see them in her visions, so she never knew how a situation was going to end up with them, and today, of all days, she was here with more than just Snow - today they had a royal with them. The trolls were not going to like this if they found out who Charming really was.

Her heart beating a little faster than before, Ella steadied herself, took a deep breath, and looked back at her companions, waving them out of the trees to join her. So far there were no trolls around.

"What now?" Charming asked, going to the edge and looking down. "Do we make troll noises?"

"Sure, if you want your voice box ripped out," Ella said. She reached into her pouch and held up a handful of gold coins, turning away from Charming and Snow.

"What is she -?" Charming whispered to Snow.

"Knocking on the door," Snow answered. "Ella's had a lot of experience with Trolls," she added. "Only problem is she can't see Trolls in her visions."

"Why not?"

Snow shook her head. "We're not sure," she answered. "Her mother would know, being a Seer herself."

"So why don't you just ask her mother?"

"Because my mother died when I was a little girl," Ella answered, putting half a dozen gold coins on the ledge of the bridge. "Now shush. They're coming."

"Step back," Snow instructed, and the Prince obeyed.

They heard the scrabbling first. They were like spiders crawling up the support structure of the bridge, only uglier. They lived down below, in what they could imagine was squalor.

Charming, a critical look on his face as they listened, said, "So are they -"

The leader of the trolls was the first to burst up over the side. Lean, shambling, coated in moss and dirt, he pulled himself over the edge and straightened up, all eight feet of him.

"Not very charismatic, are they?" Charming muttered.

"Who in God's name is this?" boomed the head troll, pointing at Charming. He slowly craned his neck and looked at Ella, and then back at Snow. "And why are you back? Our business is done."

"We're here to make a new trade," said Ella, evenly. "We want to buy back one item. The ring."

The lead troll frowned, grunted, looked toward one of his companions, who produced a burlap sack, dug around, and pulled out a ring. He held it up, and then dropped it back into the bag.

The head troll looked at Snow White. "I won't do business with him here," he said again. "I asked you once; I'll ask again, WHO IS HE?" These last three words exploded out of him, out of some pit of anger and torment.

"He's no one," Snow White said. "Let's do the deal. How about I give you all your money back and you just give me the ring. You can keep everything else."

He cocked his head, thought it through. Finally, after a long and skeptical look at Charming, he turned to one of his companions and nodded. The other troll again pulled out the sack of jewels.

"Thank you," said Charming.

Ella groaned and palmed her face with her hand. _**No, don't thank him**_, she thought.

"Wait," the head troll said, holding up a hand. "Look at those hands. Look at the well-fed posterior. This one is a royal." The head troll snarled this last word, and Snow knew that the deal would not be going through - not with any civility, at least. All five trolls pulled out their daggers.

"So what?" said Charming, defiance in his voice.

Snow hung her head. "Never admit that," she said to him.

"Take him down," the head troll commanded, and the others moved in around Charming, who pushed Snow away and raised his sword.

He didn't have a chance to use it thought - he was swarmed and brought down by the fast-moving, catlike trolls, whose movements were impossibly smooth, and twice as fast as their lumbering frames suggested they'd be capable of.

Snow watched helplessly as they tore open the sack Charming was carrying, containing all of hers and Ella's possessions, he had obviously picked it back up from the river bank when he had pulled himself free from the water, and soon one of the trolls had found the wanted poster in Charming's vest.

"This why I hate coming here," Ella whispered, trying to pull Snow back, but the trolls had turned on them and was laughing maniacally.

"Snow White," he said. "We've been doing business with Snow White all along. Quite the reward! Take her as well."

"What of the other?" another troll asked, leering at Ella.

"Take her too," the head troll ordered.

"Yep. Officially hate working with trolls," Ella said, managing to pull Snow back. Two trolls scrambled towards them, but Ella was prepared this time, and managed to knock them both down with a well-aimed kick to the head.

Snow glimpsed Charming shaking free of the other trolls, and scrabbled forward to collect her possessions and the jewels, leaving Ella and Charming to deal with the trolls at hand.

"Run!" Ella shouted, as Charming tossed one of the trolls into another two. "Snow, go!"

"Come on!" Snow cried to her friend, and the Prince. She grabbed Ella's arm and made a break for the forest; they heard Charming's footsteps behind them, and then they heard him go down.

They turned back and saw it then. Another troll had climbed up and grabbed Charming's ankle as he ran, and now all of them were piled onto him. If they left now, they'd be free, and have everything. But he'd be dead.

"You said he's in my future, right?" Snow asked.

"Mhmm," Ella said.

"Is he there now?"

Ella nodded.

"Which means -?"

"He survives this," said Ella. "I just don't know how."

"I do," Snow said, ripping the glass heart from around her neck. "Stay here."

"What are you - Snow, are you out of your mind?!"

But Snow didn't answer; instead she dropped the satchel and opened the vial of dust as she ran back towards the bridge. She emptied the contents into her hand and, in one fluid motion, tossed a handful of dust at the Trolls.

One-by-one, they each turned into a snail.

By the time she was through, Charming lay alone on the bridge, looking at her in awe, and a number of impotent snails were sliming their way around on the wood.

Her vial was empty.

"You saved me," Charming said, getting to his feet. "Thank you."

"It was the honorable thing to do," Snow said.

He looked at her empty vial. "Now you don't have your weapon," he said.

"Who needs Fairy dust when you've got a Seer?" Snow asked, glancing back at Ella who was picking up the sack of their belongings. "Besides, I couldn't go and let Prince Charming die."

"I have a name, you know," he said. "It's James."

"Well, James," she said. "Nice to meet you."

She was almost embarrassed by the way he was looking at her now, and she felt herself starting to blush.

"Oi, when you two have finished making googly eyes at each other," Ella shouted. "Can we get going? This place is creeping me out!"

Charming chuckled, and Snow turned away, glaring at her friend as she started to walk away from the bridge. "She's right about one thing," she said to Charming. "We should get out of here. Before any more show up."

He nodded. They walked together, side by side.

Snow heard a satisfying crunch when Charming stepped, firmly, and deliberately, onto one of the snails

"Ew," Ella cringed, wrinkling her nose.

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

**To the anonymous reviewer who asked me for a LOTR's storyline. Yes, one is in planning stages, and will be making the character involved in the [special] pairing you requested, will be making an appearance soon.**

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Monday, 11 November, 2013 01:17am**


	12. Chapter 12: Choices We Make

**Author's Note:** And so ends the third episode: 'Snow Falls.' This episode, surprisingly, was faster to write. Anyway, see you at the bottom.

**Dedications:** Thank you to the following: **Annaouat** and **Julianguyen16** for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _Once Upon a Time_, it is owned by the masterminds known as Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, and was aired by ABC entertainment. I do however own all original character(s), content and unrecognizable plot lines.

* * *

"Maybe now would be a good time to listen to Henry?" Tabitha asked once everyone had regrouped, and the hospital name tag had been collected for evidence.

"He's a kid," Graham said. "How could he know?"

"I know because I know the story already," Henry said. "Come on."

He ran off before either Emma or Tabitha could snag him by the back of his shirt.

"What?" Graham frowned at Tabitha. "What story?"

"You know Henry," Tabitha shrugged. "But I do suggest that we follow him now, he's fast for a half-pint," and she took off in the direction of her young charge. After an awkward moment of dumbly looking at one another, the other three followed.

"Kid!" Emma yelled, catching up with Tabitha as they ran, dodging left and right to avoid barely visible tree trunks. They were running too fast to hold their flashlights steady, and therefore only caught occasional glimpses of Henry's bouncing backpack. "Come on! Where are you going?"

But Henry never slowed.

He led them through the forest until they emerged, panting, in the clearing at the shore of a river. Henry stopped and turned, waiting for them to gather - Mary Margaret had fallen behind, and finally emerged as well.

"It's the bridge," Henry said, pointing into the darkness.

Emma looked to where he was pointing. The road that led out of Storybrooke crossed the river here, spanning it with a white and rusted bridge. When she looked back at Henry, ready to ask him what the hell he was talking about, he was already looking around near the tree line with Tabitha.

"He's gotta be around here somewhere," Henry said.

"Oh my god," Mary Margaret said, hand over her mouth. She pointed toward the river. "There. He's there. I see him."

John Doe was there indeed. Facedown in the river, not moving, his hospital gown billowing up in a cloud around him.

Graham got to him first, wading into the river. He had John Doe upright in a flash and dragged him to the shore, and then pulled his walkie-talkie from his belt and called for an ambulance. As he spoke, Mary Margaret knelt, put a hand on John Doe's chest, and slowly leaned over his face.

"Come back to us," she said to him.

Emma - uncomfortable, fairly certain that the man was dead - watched grimly from above as Mary Margaret administrated mouth-to-mouth. Emma didn't know what to make of it - any of it. She didn't have it in her to tell Mary Margaret what was obvious.

Holding John Doe's wrist and waiting for a pulse, Graham probably was thinking the same thing. And she was crazy, or was Mary Margaret kissing John Doe?

"Don't look, kid," Tabitha said, covering Henry's eyes.

"He'll be all right," Henry said, pulling Tab's hands from his face. "Don't worry. She has to kiss him to wake him up. It makes total sense. It's not gross."

"Maybe so," said Tabitha. "But I don't want your innocent mind corrupted."

"Let's just hope he wakes up, kid," Emma said. "I don't care whether it makes sense or not."

Tabitha could hear the sirens in the distance now. Graham, watching sadly, seemed to be on the cusp of stopping Mary Margaret. He looked up at Emma, and she shrugged.

And then John Doe gasped.

Henry almost burst with excitement as he started towards the river. Tabitha's hand on his shoulder was the only thing that held him back.

"She woke him up," he exclaimed.

Holding up her flashlight, Emma shone it on John Doe's face and, much to everyone's surprise, saw that his eyes were open, and he was looking at Mary Margaret.

"Thank you," he managed. He wiped his face, wet from the water, and looked around confusedly.

"My name is Mary Margaret. Do you know where you are?"

He stared at her, apparently trying to decide. "No," he said eventually. "I - I don't."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Minutes later the ambulance arrived, and Dr. Whale and the paramedics loaded John Doe into it. Emma watched Mary Margaret, who looked on with concern. In another minute the ambulance had pulled away.

"She's got it bad," Tabitha murmured leaning against her car beside Emma, she was watching Mary Margaret, who had now began to fuss with her necklace.

"Yep," Emma nodded.

The squealing of tires caused both Emma and Tabitha to look around, and seconds later a small red aygo car swerved to a stop not that far away from them. The driver's side door flew open and Ellie dashed out, she made a beeline for Mary Margaret and wrapped her arms around her friend.

"What happened?" Ellie asked. "Did you find John Doe?"

"How do you know?" Emma asked.

"I stopped by the hospital on my way home from class," Ellie answered. "I normally pick Mary Margaret up from her volunteering, and I wanted to make sure that Dr. Whale wasn't overstepping his boundaries, but the nurse at the desk told me that neither Mary Margaret nor Dr. Whale was there. I asked what was happening, there's such a commotion at the hospital, and she told me what happened. Did you find him?"

Tabitha nodded. "Yeah," she confirmed. "We found him. He's on his way back to the hospital as we speak."

"We shout get over there," said Mary Margaret. "To check on him."

Emma nodded. "Yeah," she said. "We should. Come on. Let's go."

Ellie led Mary Margaret back to her car, while Emma joined Graham in the police cruiser, and Tabitha returned to Henry who was sitting in her Lexus.

As everyone prepped their engines to leave, Emma glanced at the sign on the side of the road and couldn't help but grin a bit when she saw that it said _TOLL BRIDGE_ in simple black lettering. But someone had seen fit to scribble a small _R_ between the _T_ and the _O_.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Charming, Snow and Ella ran miles through the forest before stopping for breath, keeping a brisk pace as they put as much distance between themselves and the Troll's as possible. Snow and Ella were better runner's than Charming, something they both realized and slowed to their paces (slightly) allowing him a chance to catch up.

"This is why Royals suck," Ella said. "They depend to heavily on Horses to get them places. If you used your feet every once in a while, you'd be able to keep up."

"Such rude words to someone who could lock you away for the rest of your born life," Charming said to her.

Ella smirked, hands on her hips. "You could," she nodded. "But you won't. As I've said before, I no longer see you in my future."

"How do I know you are telling me the truth, Seer?"

"You don't," Ella said. "But if you do reappear, I'll be sure to avoid you at all costs."

"You can't change your visions."

"Actually you can," Ella said. "It's the choices we make that pave the path to our future. If I choose to avoid you, my future will change. Goodbye, Charming. Snow, I'll be over here." She pointed over her shoulder to the end of the path.

Snow nodded and watched her walk away, their sack of belongings over her shoulder. "I apologize for her," she said, turning to Charming.

"Don't worry," Charming said, shaking his head. "She is rather interesting."

"You've clearly never met a Seer before," Snow chuckled.

"No. I can't say I have," Charming said, smiling at the sound of her laughter. "Am I to believe that they are all not like that?"

"Ella is special," Snow said. "She's unique."

Charming nodded. "You are lucky to have her, Snow," he said.

"You have no idea," Snow agreed. "But she is right. I guess this is goodbye."

"I suppose we should make our exchange," Charming said. "We're heading in different directions."

"You're right," said Snow. Her eyes lingered on his for an extra second and removed the small sack of jewels from her vest. He in turn removed the pouch of gold coins. He held it up, dropped it into her other hand, and turned his palm up. Snow emptied the sack of jewels into his hand. They both looked down as he sifted through them and found the ring.

"I know, I know," he said, looking at her eyes. "Not your kind of jewelry."

"Who knows?" she said, plucking it up. "Only one way to find out, right?" she smiled and slipped it onto her ring finger. The fit was perfect; she lifted her hand and splayed her fingers. "You're right," she said. "Not for me."

He nodded, put the rest of the jewels back in the sack, and took her hand into his. As he pulled the ring from her finger, he said, "If you need more, you can have the rest of the jewels."

"That's not necessary," Snow said. "We both got what we wanted today, I think."

"Yes, maybe so," said Charming.

An awkward moment passed; Snow resisted the urge to say something silly, to relieve them from the moment, or prayed that Ellie would return and call her away, but another part of her didn't want the moment to end.

"Good luck to you," he said. Then, "If you ever need anything..."

You'll find me?" Snow offered, a crooked smile appearing on her face.

"Yes," he said. "Always."

"You know it might sound crazy," said Snow. "But I believe you."

He nodded and took a step backward.

"Perhaps we'll have to wait and find out," he said. "Or maybe Ella will foresee our next encounter." He nodded again and looked at the trail he was headed down. He twisted back to her. "Goodbye, Snow White," he said. "It was a pleasure doing business with you."

"Goodbye, Prince Charming," said Snow, and turned, walking away down the path.

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

By the time they made it back to the hospital, Tabitha noticed, with a sinking feeling that Regina's Mercedes was stationed right outside the Hospital doors, she gulped and looked down at Henry. "This is going to be fun," she said, holding out her hand for him to take.

"What are you going to tell her?" Henry asked.

"For once," said Tabitha. "I have no idea."

Inside, a number of nurses, as well as Dr. Whale, stood around John Doe's bed, examining him. Tabitha noticed another woman beside him, someone who did not look like a medical professional. She was blonde, tall, and regal-looking. On her face was caring concern, and spoke to John Doe slowly, like she was explaining something.

Just as they got to his bed, Regina saw them and came to intercept. "I'm not sure what you think you're doing in this town, Nancy Drew," she said to Emma. "But I'm getting tired of the disruptions you've begun to cause," she glanced at Mary Margaret and said. "There seem to be a whole lot more... conflicts in Storybrooke since you've been here, Ms. Swan. I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Maybe it's not," Emma said. "Maybe you're right."

Regina glared back, trying to figure out what Emma might have meant. Emma herself didn't know, but she liked the reaction she'd gotten.

"Who is... that woman?" Mary Margaret said faintly, ignoring the store down, ignoring Regina's anger. She was instead looking at the blonde-haired woman beside John Doe, who was now stroking his hair.

"Her name is Kathryn," Regina said. "John Doe's wife. And John Doe's name is David. David Nolan."

"Is this them?" Kathryn asked, looking over, relieved smile still on her face. "Are you the people that who found him? Thank you. Thank you so much," she left David's side and crossed the room. She took Mary Margaret's hands in hers and said. "I don't know how to thank you."

"I don't understand," Mary Margaret said. "How could you not have known he was here? Before?"

A pale look came over Kathryn's face; she slowly released Mary Margaret's hands and looked at the group. "We - we separated. A few years ago. It was under... terrible circumstances, a huge fight. And he stormed out and told me he was leaving town, moving to Boston, that the marriage was over. And all this time I just assumed he was there, that he... moved on." She looked back at him; he was preoccupied with Dr. Whale. "All this time he's been right here," she concluded.

"You never once tried to find him?" Ellie asked skeptically. She didn't like it. She didn't like the woman's delivery, and she didn't look the broken hearted look on Mary Margaret's face.

"Of course I did," said Kathryn, turning back. "But no one knew where he was. There's only so long you can search for someone who doesn't want to be found in the first place." She looked to Regina and smiled warmly. "But the mayor put the pieces together and called this evening. It's unbelievable. This is - it's like we're starting over. We get a second chance."

"That's so lovely," Mary Margaret said, smiling at the woman. Ellie doubted she was the only one in the room who could see through the false sentiment.

Kathryn went back to David at the bed.

"Come on, Henry," Regina said. "Time to go home. Tabitha, you're relieved of duty, effective immediately."

"Excuse me?" Tabitha asked, turning to face the Mayor. "You're firing me?"

"Yes, I am," said Regina. "It would seem that since Ms. Swan has arrived in Storybrooke, you've gone back to your old ways. I won't allow you to corrupt my son. I am willing for you to collect your things, but as soon as that is done, you are to leave and never return. Do you understand?"

Tabitha took a deep breath to quell her anger and frustration. "Yes, Madame Mayor," she said. "Perfectly."

"Good," Regina said, smiling. "Henry."

Henry squeezed Tabitha's hand and smiled as he passed her, it was a small smile, one that clearly showed that this wasn't over and that they were still a team. That no matter what his mother said, she was still his nanny, even if she didn't live with him.

"Don't believe any of it," Henry said, lowering his voice as he turned to Mary Margaret. "He woke up because of you. The story. True Love. It's your destiny to be together."

"Henry," Regina said again. But Henry darted from the room. Regina, shaking her head, followed after him

"Excuse me," Emma said to Tabitha as she followed Regina off the ward. "Madame Mayor."

Regina turned.

"A word before you go?"

Regina sighed, nodded her consent. Henry was out in the parking lot when Regina stopped walking and the two women turned to face each other.

"None of this particular story makes any sense," Emma said flatly. "Let's not play games."

"What is it you think, then?" Regina asked, eyes alight, looking amused. "I'm using evil magic on that woman? Forcing her to lie?"

"No, but I think you're manufacturing something. I don't know why. But it stinks, whatever it is."

"You do know, Ms Swan," Regina said, "that bad things happen. Even in small towns like Storybrooke."

"Storybrooke's just like everywhere else," Emma said. "Full of good people, with a few rotten ones thrown into the mix."

"I'm surprised you're not happier to see two people reunited," said Regina. "There is no curse in the world worse than being alone, am I right?" Regina smiled and looked over her shoulder toward the parking lot. "I'm lucky to have Henry," she said. "It would be terrible to have no one at all."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Her cheeks glowing scarlet, Snow met up with Ellie at the end of the path. Charming had long since disappeared behind a tower of fir trees. The young Seer grinned at the look on her friend's face, but could also sense that she had a burning question to ask.

"What?" Ellie asked.

"Will I ever see him again?" Snow asked.

Ellie paused and considered her answer. "At the moment I cannot see him," she said. "All I see is a blue fin, and red hair."

"Blue fin and red hair?" Snow frowned.

"I think it's a mermaid."

"A mermaid?"

"Yes. A mermaid."

"You're telling me that we're to encounter a mermaid next?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"How what?"

"How are we going to encounter this mermaid?"

"That, my dear, Snow, is not clear as of yet," Ella said, offering Snow her arm.

Snow smiled, wound her arm through her friends, and carried on walking away from the kingdom, and Prince Charming.

"You know," said Ella, after a brief pause. "She's actually quite pretty... the mermaid."

**~*To Break a Curse*~**

Tabitha sat alone at her own kitchen table, one hand half-clasping a glass of milk, the other resting on her lap. On the table in front of her was an array of photographs, all consisting of the same two people, but in different settings. Tabitha lifted up the picture on top of the pile and sighed at her younger self.

Long brown hair pulled back in a high pony-tail, her brother's arm around her shoulders, as he touched her protruding stomach which had been cut off by the camera lens; she had been eighteen-years-old, and six months pregnant when this photo had been taken.

The boy in the picture was roughly her height, maybe a few inches taller, with long blonde hair that reached his ears - it always amazed people that they were brother and sister, considering they didn't look anything like. The only thing that seemed consistent between them was their eye colour.

Tabitha lifted the glass of milk to her lips, but before she could take a sip there came a knock at her door. She frowned and looked around at the clock on the wall; it was nearly 10:30pm, who would be knocking on her door at this time of the night?

Dropping the photograph back onto the pile, Tabitha stood and walked the short length from the table to the door and opened it, surprised to find Emma standing on the otherside.

The two women looked at each other.

"Emma,"

"Hey."

"Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine," Emma said. "The mystery man is awake and the Evil Queen is asleep in her tower. We're good."

Tabitha chuckled lightly and opened the door a bit more. "Do you want to come in?" she asked. "I was just about to put on some dinner."

"I was actually wondering if that offer still stood," Emma said. "About the room?"

"Absolutely," Tabitha smiled, nodding. "Come in."

Emma nodded and walked into the apartment. She took a look around, obviously pleased.

"Nice place you got here," she said, resting her hand on the counter. "Much nicer than the back seat of my car."

"Well, cars were meant for driving," said Tabitha. "Not living."

"True," Emma nodded. "Thank you, for letting me stay."

Tabitha shook her head. "I'm glad you're here," she admitted. "Really, Emma. Welcome."

"Thanks."

Tabitha smiled and walked into her kitchen. "You hungry?" she asked, looking back at Emma, who had spotted her pictures on the table and walked over. She picked up the one of a heavily pregnant Tabitha and an unfamiliar boy.

"This is him, isn't it?" Emma asked. "Your brother?"

"Yeah," Tabitha said with a smile as she returned to the table. "That's Felix."

* * *

**Copyrighted ©**

I hope that Emma moving in with Tabitha and not Mary Margaret doesn't deter some of you die-had fans from this story, there is a reason for this change. I'm not doing simply because it is easier, believe me. I do have reasons behind why I am making these changes.

_**Reviews are welcome and appreciated. Please review.**_

**Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx**

**Chapter updated Tuesday, 12 November, 2013 at 12:08am**


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